Psychological Treatment To Enhance The 24 Personal Strengths

Traditionally, psychology has focused above all on eliminating symptoms, something that the patient demands when they come for a consultation. In this way, if you have depression, you want to eliminate sadness and hopelessness, and if, for example, you have anxiety (with breathing difficulties, palpitations, etc.) you want to eliminate anxiety.

From my point of view, If psychological treatment focuses exclusively on the negative (“I take away the bad and that’s it”) it is incomplete since it only focuses on the elimination of what creates discomfort without working on the positive, the possibility of developing strengths.

Treatment should not only be aimed at “eliminating suffering” but at enhancing the resources we have and cultivating positive feelings and thoughts.

Psychology to develop strengths

In addition to using techniques to control symptoms (relaxation techniques, thought modification techniques, problem solving, self-control…), the person must develop the ability to enjoy, the ability to recognize the meaning of one’s life, personal capabilities, optimism…

In this way, not only are weaknesses compensated and wounds healed, but skills are developed that the person can use in the future In addition, you can also work preventively (not only from a “cure if there are symptoms” model on issues such as violence or drug use.

From this position, positive emotions are cultivated in three temporal moments: in the past, valuing it positively so that it generates well-being; in the present, to be motivated and flow; and in the future to look towards it positively with hope and optimism.

One can have positive emotions in one moment in time but not in others: For example, one can feel calm in the present and have little hope in the future, or look at the present and future with enthusiasm but be dissatisfied with the past. The important thing is that it is something cultivable

Learning to gain autonomy

If, for example, it is the past “that catches us,” We can learn throughout therapy to rewrite our history in order to continue on our path In the case of the past, our feelings are totally determined by our thinking, by the interpretation we make; Therefore, by rewriting the history lived, feelings change.

We can reflect on these three times: in the past, what I did a long time ago that I am proud of; in the present write 3 positive things for example from today; and in the future, what I would like to do in the short term and long term.

24 personal strengths

Strengths are psychological traits and characteristics that occur in different situations and over time and can be trained and therefore improved. They are the following.

Strengths involving the acquisition and use of knowledge

1. Curiosity interest in the world.

2. Love for knowledge and learning (continuous tendency to acquire new learning).

3. Judgment, critical thinking open-minded (thinking about things and examining all their meanings, without drawing random conclusions).

4. Ingenuity, originality practical intelligence (thinking about new and productive paths and ways of doing things).

5. social intelligence personal intelligence, emotional intelligence (knowledge of oneself and others).

6. Perspective (being able to help others solve problems and gain perspective for themselves).

Strengths that imply the achievement of goals in difficult situations

7. Courage and bravery (not being intimidated by threat, change, difficulty or pain).

8. Perseverance industriousness, diligence (persisting in an activity even if there are obstacles).

9. Integrity, honesty, authenticity (take responsibility for one’s own feelings and actions taken).

Strengths that involve caring and offering friendship and affection to others

10. Goodness and generosity.

eleven. Love and let yourself be loved (value intimate and deep relationships with others).

Strengths that imply a healthy community life

12. Civics teamwork, loyalty (working well within a team or group of people, being faithful to the group and feeling part of it).

13. Impartiality and equity (not allowing personal feelings to bias decisions about other people).

14. Leadership (encouraging the group of which one is a member to do things and strengthening relationships between people in the group).

Strengths that protect us against excesses (temperance)

fifteen. Self-control (ability to regulate one’s own feelings and actions, have control over impulses and emotions).

16. Prudence discretion, caution (not saying or doing anything that you may later regret).

17. Modesty, humility (do not try to be the center of attention or believe yourself to be more special than others).

Strengths that provide meaning to life (transcendence)

18. Appreciation of beauty and excellence (knowing how to appreciate the beauty of things, everyday life or being interested in aspects of life such as nature, art, science).

19. Gratitude (be aware of the good things that happen to you and express gratitude).

20. Hope, optimism, projection towards the future (hope for the best in the future and plan to achieve it).

twenty-one. Spirituality, faith, religious sense (having a philosophy of life, religious or not, that places you as part of the universe in general, having a purpose in life).

22. Forgiveness (forgive, giving a second chance to others).

23. Sense of humor (he likes to laugh and make others laugh, he sees the positive side of life).

24. Passion, enthusiasm