Building Your Strengths
A Guide to Building Your Strengths was originally developed by Drs. Tayyab Rashid and Afroze Anjum. It was first published in Peterson (2006). Since then, it has been expanded, adapted and modified by various educational institutes and individuals to address their needs. These iterations have been published with permission of the original authors (Rashid & Anjum).
Its most widely used version is titled 340 Ways of Using VIA Character Strengths and can be accessed through the VIA Institute on Character’s website. The latest adaptation of this document was published by the first author in Character Strengths Matter: How to Live A Full Life (Polly & Britton, 2015). An update version of this document has been published in:
Positive Psychotherapy: Clinician Manual, by Rashid & Seligman, 2018; Oxford; Appendix D; pp 267-323
Positive Psychotherapy: Workbook by Rashid & Seligman, 2018; Oxford; Appendix D; pp 127-13.
The definitions of character strengths below are adapted from Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and published with permission from the Values in Action (VIA): Institute on Character. Please do not cite the document without permission from the authors.
Disclaimer: The embedded movie clips, to illustrate character strengths, are from YouTube (as of September, 2016), posted by third party sources. Flourish has no control over their quality and ongoing accessibility in all countries.
Peterson, C. (2006). Primer in Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford Press.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press and Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Rashid, T. (2015). Five Actions to Build Each of the 24 Character Strengths, in S. Polly & K. Britton, (eds) Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life. USA: Positive Psychology News.
Rashid, T. & Anjum, A. (2005). 340 Ways to Use VIA Character Strengths. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pennsylvania.
VIA institute on Character. (2016). Ways to Use Character Strengths, Retrieved from http://www.viacharacter.org/resources/tag/340-ways/ on September 2nd, 2016.
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]: Individuals with an appreciation for beauty feel a sense of awe at the scenes and patterns around them. They take pleasure in observing physical beauty, the skills and talents of other people, and the beauty inherent to virtue and morality. Beauty can be found in almost every area of life, from nature to arts to mathematics to science to everyday experience. This strength allows people to experience satisfaction and richness in everyday experiences.
Too much: snobbery
Too little: oblivion