Greatest Strengths
Identified
The VIA Signature Strength Survey is a 240 question survey that has been taken by hundreds of thousands of people. The VIA Signature Strengths Survey measures 24 character strengths that are taken from Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification by Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman, Oxford University Press, 2004.
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The 24 character strengths are listed below.
Creativity (originality,
ingenuity): Thinking of
novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things.
Curiosity (interest,
novelty-seeking, openness to experience): Taking an interest in ongoing experiences for its own
sake; exploring and discovering
Open-mindedness (judgment,
critical thinking):
Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; weighing all
evidence fairly.
Love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and
bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally.
Perspective (wisdom): Being able to provide wise counsel to
others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to
other people
Bravery (valor): Not shrinking from threat, challenge,
difficulty, or pain; acting on convictions even if unpopular.
Persistence (perseverance,
industriousness):
Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of
obstacles.
Integrity (authenticity,
honesty): Presenting
oneself in a genuine way; taking responsibility for one’s feeling and actions
Vitality (zest,
enthusiasm, vigor, energy): Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and
activated
Love: Valuing close relations with others, in
particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated.
Kindness (generosity,
nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”): Doing favors and good deeds for others.
Social intelligence
(emotional intelligence, personal intelligence): Being aware of the motives and feelings
of other people and oneself.
Citizenship (social
responsibility, loyalty, teamwork): Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group.
Fairness: Treating all people the same according
to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias
decisions about others.
Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a
member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within
the group.
Forgiveness and mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong;
accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being
vengeful
Humility / Modesty: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for
themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.
Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not
taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.
Self-regulation
(self-control):
Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s
appetites and emotions.
Appreciation of beauty and
excellence (awe, wonder, elevation): Appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in
various domains of life.
Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful of the good
things that happen; taking time to express thanks.
Hope (optimism,
future-mindedness, future orientation): Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve
it.
Humor (playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing
smiles to other people; seeing the light side.
Spirituality (religiousness, faith, purpose): Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose, the meaning of life, and the meaning of the universe.
**Identify your Signature Strengths by taking the inventory on line at www.viasurvey.org. You will need to register, then you can take the Strength Inventory and print out your results. You can save your information at the website for future reference.