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Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life
What are the elements of good character? The Values in Action (VIA) project identified 24 qualities such as creative, authentic, loving, forgiving, kind, persistent, prudent, and brave, calling them character strengths. Character strengths are elements of good character valued across time and around the world. If you are curious about your own strengths, join the 3 million people that have taken the free online survey at www.viacharacter.org.
Character Strengths How to Live a Full Life brings the 24 character strengths to life with stories involving children, teenagers, adults, and elders and occurring in family life and business settings, in the present and in the distant past, in locations from China to the United States to the Middle East. Research shows that using character strengths in new ways for a week makes people happier up to six months later. This book includes many ideas for using your character strengths in new ways.
Based on the unusual premise that a key way to build strength is to act ‘as if’ you have that strength already, this book includes short passages to read aloud to try on particular character strengths. This concept is well known to actors and elite athletes, but less well known to the rest of the world. Look inside the book to see whose words are used to embody hope, gratitude, leadership, creativity, kindness, love and all the rest.
More than 30 authors contributed stories to this book, including George Vaillant, the 35-year director of Harvard's Study of Adult Development. Many leaders in the positive psychology field endorse the book, including the ‘father of positive psychology’ Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman. He “My friend, Chris Peterson, would have loved this book. It brings to life with personal stories, practical recommendations, wisdom, and humor the dry scholarship that he (with an assist from me) did in Character Strengths and Virtues. Chris was very down-to-earth and I am sure he would have concurred in my enthusiastically recommending this book to everyone who works with character strengths in the real world.” ~ Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness and Flourish
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to a scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of the lead researcher of character strengths, the late Christopher Peterson. This scholarship supports the education of future practitioners of positive psychology.
This is the third book in the Positive Psychology News series, joining How to Navigate Life's Curves and How to Appreciate Life's Gifts.
Bottom line, this book is bound to make you learn something new, be inspired about humanity and have a chance to play with character strengths. This book will make you happier.
Character Strengths How to Live a Full Life brings the 24 character strengths to life with stories involving children, teenagers, adults, and elders and occurring in family life and business settings, in the present and in the distant past, in locations from China to the United States to the Middle East. Research shows that using character strengths in new ways for a week makes people happier up to six months later. This book includes many ideas for using your character strengths in new ways.
Based on the unusual premise that a key way to build strength is to act ‘as if’ you have that strength already, this book includes short passages to read aloud to try on particular character strengths. This concept is well known to actors and elite athletes, but less well known to the rest of the world. Look inside the book to see whose words are used to embody hope, gratitude, leadership, creativity, kindness, love and all the rest.
More than 30 authors contributed stories to this book, including George Vaillant, the 35-year director of Harvard's Study of Adult Development. Many leaders in the positive psychology field endorse the book, including the ‘father of positive psychology’ Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman. He “My friend, Chris Peterson, would have loved this book. It brings to life with personal stories, practical recommendations, wisdom, and humor the dry scholarship that he (with an assist from me) did in Character Strengths and Virtues. Chris was very down-to-earth and I am sure he would have concurred in my enthusiastically recommending this book to everyone who works with character strengths in the real world.” ~ Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness and Flourish
Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to a scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania in honor of the lead researcher of character strengths, the late Christopher Peterson. This scholarship supports the education of future practitioners of positive psychology.
This is the third book in the Positive Psychology News series, joining How to Navigate Life's Curves and How to Appreciate Life's Gifts.
Bottom line, this book is bound to make you learn something new, be inspired about humanity and have a chance to play with character strengths. This book will make you happier.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2015
127 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 2, 2016
A fantastic resource for people trying to bring out the best in themselves and others. Helped me to be more aware of strengths (signature strengths as well as strengths that were not as prominent in the survey) and also gave ways to use them more often. The book is a relatively easy read and easily understood. The shift to strengths is a simple, yet powerful one.
June 11, 2016
Bravo! Loved the examples and exercises. Fantastic ideas for leading a fuller and more meaningful life.
If you haven't taken the assessment, here's a link: http://smarterproductions.pro.viasurv...
If you haven't taken the assessment, here's a link: http://smarterproductions.pro.viasurv...
October 18, 2019
I was immediately intrigued by this when I scanned the chapter titles, but I admit, I loved it more than I expected, so much so I believe it'll become my secular bible. Rooted in science but also enhanced with all kinds of literature, speeches, poetry, and insights, it's an inspiring read that really moved me.
June 14, 2016
We are proud to announce that CHARACTER STRENGTHS MATTER by Shannon Polly & Kathryn Britton is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
June 17, 2019
Yeah so you're probably going to be getting a lot of reviews of these types of books! This book is a really good intro to character strength. It has in depth chapters on the 24 traits with articles in each that highlight the trait. It also gives practical steps to cultivating the traits as well as pieces of literature, poems and monologues that embody the strength in a way to help you connect to what it may feel like to express them openly. I think it is very accessible which is good but hoping to embark on something a little more challenging next go.
October 1, 2022
Human values are those virtues that guide us to take into account the human element when interacting with other living beings. They are the many positive dispositions (character, inclination, temperament, soul, etc.) that create bonds of humanity between people and therefore have value for all of us as human beings.
Inspiring book!
Inspiring book!
December 23, 2022
This is a realitvely short read, but wether you like it or not depends. It depends on wether you have taken the VIA Character Strenghs Test and are farmiliar with your results. It serves more as a kind of dictonary to your strengh rather a coherant read on the topic. It s good, but you might be dissapointed in what you get.
December 31, 2023
I got this book for coaching class. Short little book about character strengths. Not anymore helpful than what you could find online for each strength. Actually might even be less clear than what you’d find online to help you lean into your strengths or work on your lesser strengths.
May 16, 2024
I was curious about the actions I could take to make use of my character strengths, actions mentioned in this book. Dissapointed to notice the actions formerly mentioned on the VIA Character Strengths website had more substance to them.
June 15, 2020
Required reading for my studies on coaching but a good primer for raising good children too
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2021
A fantastic resource to know themselves and everyone that you come in contact with. Live a fuller and happier life. Take the free VIA character strength test and get this book!!! You are welcome! ;)
April 20, 2021
Suggested reading for my functional medicine health coach certification. An easy guide to character strengths and quick descriptions of how they are implemented and expressed by those around us.
September 1, 2015
This highly readable and focused, 230-page book succinctly covers an important subject – character strengths and how to further develop them. 24 character strengths are described, including such attributes as: bravery, creativity, curiosity, forgiveness, hope, kindness, persistence and zest. An expert explains each strength and, uniformly, the explanations hit the heart of the issue squarely and clearly but without jargon or clichés. Each explanation is followed by a one-page, step-by-step list of actions to help develop the specific strength. Next follows a uniquely helpful exercise to read aloud a short passage from someone like Shakespeare or Lincoln that reinforces development of the character strength.
This book is quite different from the recent New York Times bestseller The Road to Character. That book is well written but takes the approach of providing brief biographies of eminent historical figures of high character such as Generals Eisenhower and Marshall. While an interesting read, it neither explains character strengths nor provides advice on how to develop them.
Character Strengths Matter may be read in sections according to the character strengths one finds of interest. It is a book one can go back to time and again.
This book is quite different from the recent New York Times bestseller The Road to Character. That book is well written but takes the approach of providing brief biographies of eminent historical figures of high character such as Generals Eisenhower and Marshall. While an interesting read, it neither explains character strengths nor provides advice on how to develop them.
Character Strengths Matter may be read in sections according to the character strengths one finds of interest. It is a book one can go back to time and again.
October 16, 2015
Unlike the endless assessments of personality traits (Meyers-Briggs, DISC), this is a handbook for strengthening resilience and a deeper exploration of 24 character strengths distilled by Chris Peterson working with Marty Seligman. Whatever you think you know about positive psychology, put it aside and wonder why the Army embraces it as the antidote to PTSD. Life's traumas take many forms. Character strengthening matters.
Love Shannon Polly's contribution of "as if" embodiment of these strengths by reading aloud a poem, speech, or dialog that brings each into sharp focus. Very simple and effective.
Love Shannon Polly's contribution of "as if" embodiment of these strengths by reading aloud a poem, speech, or dialog that brings each into sharp focus. Very simple and effective.
September 12, 2020
Using Strengths To Build Your Future
First introduced to this idea several years ago and taken the VIA 3 times. This last time my strengths had changed since teaching this class and working in my strengths and areas of improvement. Strengths can change over time and found this guide very useful in adding resources to training I deliver.
First introduced to this idea several years ago and taken the VIA 3 times. This last time my strengths had changed since teaching this class and working in my strengths and areas of improvement. Strengths can change over time and found this guide very useful in adding resources to training I deliver.
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November 16, 2016Meh.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews