Virtues and Strengths By: Allie Kleinman, Lauren Schrager, Danny Guise, Kendall Fishlein

What are virtues? Common misconception: a virtue is socially defined After reading works by: Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, Augustine, Confucius, Buddha, Lao-Tze, Benjamin Franklin, and the Upanishads, as well as the Old Testament, Talmud, the Bushido(the samurai code), the Koran  concluded: 6 universal virtues were discovered in “almost every single of these traditions flung across three thousand years and the entire face of the earth” (133) Wisdom and knowledge Courage Love and humanity Justice Temperance Spirituality and transcendence

What are virtues? These common virtues are “endorsed by almost all religious and philosophical traditions, and taken together they capture the notion of good character” (133) Social context The details of what exactly these traits mean in each culture varies Ex. Courage may mean something different to Aristotle than it does to a samurai Therefore: virtues are what creates someone’s good character – relative to their society and what the details of each virtue are Virtues = aspects of a universally defined good character that serve as goals to achieve Strengths = how we achieve the virtues

What are strengths? Examples: Integrity, valor, originality, and kindness Moral traits and More buildable than talents With time, determination, and effort, strengths can be acquired by an ordinary person Voluntary: Choice about when to use it/keep building it

Highest Personal Strengths 24 strengths that lead to 6 virtues… Wisdom and Knowledge Courage Humanity and Love Justice Temperance Transcendence

Strengths vs. Talents Talents: Not as buildable (God-given) Relatively automatic Have no choice whether you possess them or not Cannot be acquired Nonmoral…can be good or bad Talents chose you, you didn’t choose them Both are topics of positive psychology Both can help others receive or build authentic happiness

Importance of Strengths They provide “distinct routes” to each of the six virtues They are “buildable” qualities “Engaging in a strength usually produces positive emotion” “The display of strength by one person does not diminish other people in the vicinity. Indeed, onlookers are often elevated and inspired by observing virtuous action.” We need to utilize our strengths on a regular basis if we intend to lead the “good life”

The Value By identifying virtues you can work towards developing a good character Being able to identify strengths and talents early on can help you pick a path for success

Quiz 1. What is the biggest difference between a strength and a trait? 2. What is the difference between a virtue and a strength? 3. What would you say your strengths are? 4. What would you saw are some virtues that you possess?