This post explains how to use the results of the survey of your character strengths.

    You may like to have your character strengths survey results to hand while thinking about these questions. Head over to the VIA Survey website to recap your strengths, or take the test if you haven't done so already. This previous post explains the background.

    What can I do with my list of strengths?

    One common exercise is a discussion of your signature strengths with another person. Talk with someone you trust about which strengths strike you as more authentically associated with yourself. One thing you might discuss or have a think about is:

    How do I know when to use which strength?

    Sometimes it's possible to be too courageous, too curious or even too kind. The trick is determining when to use which strength. Try to think of situations in which you've used your strengths successfully and times when you've used them unsuccessfully. Is there any pattern? If there is, what is this telling you? Schwartz and Sharpe (2005) argue that practical wisdom can only be reached through practice. There's no substitute for exercising your strengths in the right way, and understanding why.

    What if I'm uncomfortable discussing my strengths?

    Negative points are easier to spot in others as well as in ourselves. As a result some people find it difficult to talk, or even just think about their strengths. It may also be partly cultural: Americans tend to be more comfortable discussing positivity, whereas other cultures like the British can be turned off by all this 'happy-clappy' positivity.

    That's fine, so instead of focusing on the top 5 character strengths, concentrate on the bottom of the list. These are your least strong strengths - I hesitate to say weaknesses because the survey isn't concerned with rooting out weakness, it's solely concerned with strengths. Still, those 'strengths' are at the bottom of the list for a reason.

    Weakness can also be found in strengths if those strengths aren't used in a balanced way. For example some people take critical thinking to extreme and end up highly cynical, finding it hard to see anything positive in the world. Similarly prudence is a highly admirable character strength, but too much prudence can lead to a boring and isolated life. Recognising the dangers inherent in some strengths can also be beneficial.

    Are some character strengths more likely to be seen together in one person?

    The strengths can be described on two dimensions: first on whether they are self or other-focused strengths, and second on whether they are strengths of mind or strengths of heart. Self-focused strengths include curiosity, self-regulation and zest, while other-focused strengths include modesty, kindness and forgiveness. Strengths of mind include open-mindedness, self-regulation and modesty, while strengths of heart include gratitude, hope and zest.

    People are more likely to have signature strengths that are close on these two dimensions. For example people whose strength is perspective are also likely to have a love of learning. Similarly someone whose strength is kindness is also likely to be particularly forgiving. Do your strengths cluster together in this way, or are they more disparate?

    [Your task is slightly hampered here by not being able to see all the strengths laid out along the dimensions - unfortunately I don't have access to a copy I can use here. You'll have to use your ingenuity to work out which strengths are closely related.]

    Aren't the answers I have given in the survey subject to a social desirability bias?

    Yes, but that doesn't mean they're meaningless. All the questions in the VIA survey ask about positive traits, so there is clearly a bias in the way (most) people will respond. Naturally people tend to see themselves in a relatively positive light and so will tend to answer in the affirmative for most questions. For example, it's an extremely rare person that says they have no morals or no curiosity at all.

    The point with this survey is that as long as the response to every question isn't exactly the same, then it will reveal something about your character. That variability between 'very much like me' and 'most of the time' reveals something. Using this variability the survey can work out which traits are most applicable and which least.

    More generally, though, why should we only believe others when talking about their deficiencies, but not when point out their strengths?

    Give me more ways to think about my strengths!

    Certainly. You can think about your strengths in relation to all the major areas of your life:

    * Do your signature strengths match up with those used in your job. If not, could you adjust your job so that they do? Or perhaps even change your job?

    * How do your strengths fit with those closest to you, e.g. your partner?

    * Which strengths give you the most energy when you use them? How could you use them more? How could you use them differently - say in a different context or with different people?

    * What hobbies/interests do you have and how do your strengths contribute? Are there other interests you could develop on the basis of your strengths?

    Your experience?

    As ever, do comment below if you found this exercise useful (or otherwise) and also if you found new and interesting ways of thinking about your strengths.

    本貼教你如何利用性格優勢的測試結果。

    當你仔細思考這些問題時，也許你愿意遞交你的性格優勢測試的結果。回到VIA Survey website回顧下你的性格優勢，或者如果你還沒有測試過，就請先測試。下面這個之前的帖子會為你解釋相關的背景知識。

    對于我的性格優勢，我能做些什么？

    一個常用的練習就是和別人討論你的性格優勢。與你所信賴的人討論哪種性格優勢能夠更加的貼切的和你自己相聯系。你要討論或者是要想到的一件事是：

    如何知道何時利用何種性格優勢？

    有時候你會變得過于勇敢，過度好奇甚至太過善良。訣竅就在于決定何時利用何種性格優勢。試著去想想你成功利用你性格優勢的情境以及你失敗的時候。這其中有什么模式嗎？如果有，你獲得了什么啟示？Schwartz and Sharpe (2005) 曾討論過只有通過練習才能獲得實用的智慧。除了通過正確的方式練習你的性格優勢，沒有其他可替代的方式，并明白其中的原因。

    如果在討論自己性格優勢時感到不適該怎么辦？

    我們很容易發現別人身上的缺點，也同樣容易發現自身的不足。因此有些人覺得談論，甚至思考自身的優勢時反倒覺得很困難。這可能跟文化有關系：美國人在討論積極的事物時更加放松和舒適，然而其他的文化例如英國人就會對所有令人‘開心-愉悅’的積極性感到厭煩和逃避。

    不關注前五個性格優勢，關注列表的底下幾項。這些是你強度最弱的幾個優勢-我不說弱點是因為這個測試并不是為了發現弱勢，它僅僅和優勢相關。此外，這些'優勢'位于列表底部是有理由的。

    如果優勢并沒有以一種平衡的方式被使用時，優勢也會變成弱勢。例如有些人將批判的思想極致化，以極其的憤世嫉俗而告終，很難看到這個世界的美好。與此類似的，謹慎也是個極好的性格優勢，但是過于謹慎會導致無聊和與世隔絕的生活。明白一些優勢固有的危險因素對我們也是有益的。

    多種的性格優勢更可能在一個人身上集中體現嗎？

    可以從兩個維度來描述這個優勢：首先在于它們是自我還是他人-關注的優勢，其二在于它們是理性優勢還是感性優勢。自我關注優勢包括好奇心，自我規范和強烈的興趣，而他人關注優勢包括謙虛，善良和寬容。理性優勢包括開放的思想，自我規范和謙虛，而感性優勢包括感恩，希望和強烈的興趣。

    人們更愿意讓自己的優勢接近這兩個維度。例如一個優勢是很有看法與主見的人很可能也愛好學習。同樣的一個具有善良的性格優勢的人也很可能特別的寬容。你的優勢也像這樣結合在一起還是彼此不同的呢？
[由于你不能夠看出這兩個維度的所有優勢，所以你的任務會受到一些的阻礙-不幸的是我不能獲得我在這用的副本。你只能竭盡自身的獨創性去尋找哪些優勢是緊密聯系的。]

    我所給出的關于這個測試的答案受制于社會理想的偏見嗎？

    是的，但是這并不意味著著它們就沒有意義。這個測試的所有答案都是問關于積極特性的，所以在人們反應的方式上都存在一個明確的偏見。人們自然而然的會傾向于去以一個相對積極的角度看待自己，所以也傾向于以肯定的方式來回答大部分的問題。例如，很少有人會說她們沒有道德或者完全沒有好奇心。

    該測試的關鍵是只要每個問題的答案不是完全一致的，它就能揭示你性格中的一些東西。并在'非常像我 ’和‘大部分像我’之間變化。用這個測試的多變性來解決哪種特征是最適用，哪種特征是最不適用的。
給我更多的方式來思考我的優勢！

    當然，你可以根據你生活的所有主要領域來思考你的優勢：

    * 你的性格優勢和你工作中所用到的優勢一致嗎？如果不一致，你可以調整自己的工作以達到一致呢？或者也許可以改變下你的工作？

    * 你的優勢能和你最親近的人相適應嗎？

    * 哪種性格優勢在你使用的時候給你最大的能量？你怎樣才能最好的利用它們？如何不同的使用它們——在不同的情境或者是和不同的人？

    * 你有什么樣的興趣和愛好，你的性格優勢于此有關系嗎？在你性格的優勢基礎上還有其他你可以發展的興趣嗎？

    你的經驗？

    如果你覺得這個練習有效的話，請在下面做出評論，如果你發現新的、有意思的方式去思考你的優勢也請留下評論告訴我們。