#29 PERMA: character strengths

“Suffering and well-being are both part of the human condition and psychology should care about each. Human strengths, excellence, and flourishing are just as authentic as human distress.” – Positive Psychology Center

Hello my lovelies,

I wanted to talk about a little experiment I have done recently in goal-setting and it involves Positive Psychology’s Character Strengths. First I will give a very small introduction to positive psychology and the PERMA model as well as what character strengths are. Then I will tell you more about my experiment, my own strengths and let you know how I find it down the line. I have decided to utilise positive psychology to embed all my goals by working with my strengths as a way of connecting to what I once loved and specialised in.

Positive psychology has been around for just over 20 years and was created by Martin Seligman in order to ‘add’ to someone’s life to allow them to flourish. He found that clinical and counselling psychology’s main aims were to relieve suffering which can help people survive, he aimed for the PERMA model to increase wellbeing.

PERMA stands for Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. It is seen as the foundations upon which we can foster a life of wellbeing and flourishing beyond what we currently know, one that aligns with our values and who we are.

Positive emotion may seem the easiest to apply but there is only so far hedonism can go and should not be relied on, in my view it can eventually be considered toxic positivity because we will not be experiencing positive emotions 24/7 as humans.

Engagement is “an experience in which someone fully deploys their skills, strengths, and attention for a challenging task.” This was recognised by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as a state of ‘flow’. It is essentially finding the right challenges that allow us to be ‘in the zone’, or one-pointed concentration in Buddhism.

Relationships are fundamental. Given we are ultrasocial beings, having those networks of those around us means they can offer the support, encouragement, and confidence we need to be well.

Meaning (my favourite) is belonging to something bigger than ourselves, from family, to faith, community groups and more. The things that drive our purpose in life.

Accomplishment is all about the mastery of something or aiming for a specific goal and achieving it.

So where do strengths come into it? Well, the character strengths are made up of classifications following deep research on the universal traits everyone can have. By using them regularly, we can build a flourishing life. I will now show you through me as a case study.

Case study

My strengths
Strength #1
Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith –
You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

Strength #2
Love of learning –
You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

Strength #3
Perspective wisdom –
Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

Strength #4
Modesty and humility –
You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.

Strength #5
Fairness, equity, and justice –
Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

Goals:

Mindful guide: I can use my love of learning to be able to research effective mindful guides as well as my own experiences to develop this with wisdom.
Spirit manifesto: I can use my strengths of faith and perspective to be able to create a document I will cherish for a long time.
Calligraphy: I can use my love of learning to immerse myself, I can also use my faith into transforming it into a mindful activity.
Meditation and course: More learning alongside equality because I am learning about Thay’s history, including that of Vietnam so non-discrimination will have to be emphasised.