Positive Psychology
use your strengths to increase well-being
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play (source: University of Pennsylvania). The main goal is to increase well-being and human flourishing, as opposed to the focus of traditional psychology on disorder. Well-being is more than happiness alone and consists of five elements, which are pursued for their own sake (intrinsic motivation). The five elements of well-being are: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment (together forming the acronym PERMA) (source: Martin Seligman). You can actively increase all five aspects of well-being by deploying your highest strengths. I can help you get insights into those strengths, by using a strength assessment and actively work from your strengths.
“Deploying your highest strengths leads to more positive emotion, to more engagement, to more meaning, to more accomplishment, and to better relationships.”
Get insight into your strengths
To get insight into your strengths, you can take the free VIA Character Strengths test. This questionnaire was developed by Chris Perterson, a professor at the University of Michigan, and has been taken by millions of people from two hundred nations. There is a vast body of research within Positive Psychology on this topic, which has found that our character is not immutable and unchanging. We are learning that our character strengths can be developed (Niemiec, 2017). Our coaching sessions will help you to become aware of your unique character strengths, link them to your personal values, and consciously develop them in new ways. Creating such alignment of your signature strengths with your values and work increases job performance, increases your ability to cope with stress, and fosters engagement.
“Talents can be squandered, resources can be quickly lost, interest wane and change, skills diminish over time, but when all seems completely lost, we still have our character strengths. When focused on, our character strengths crystallize and evolve and can integrate with these other positive qualities to contribute to the greater good.”
Resources
- Strengths Assessment
- Articles
Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives - Brainpickings