King (2022) presented various ways to measure personality traits through self-report tests, standardized tests like the Myers-Briggs or the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) and projective tests such as the Rorschach Inkblot Test or the TAT (Thematic Apperception Test).

Rooted in the Humanistic Perspective from research by William James and Abraham Maslow, a subfield, Positive Psychology emerged in the late 20th century as Martin Seligman, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, Christopher Peterson, Edward Diener, Carol Dweck, and many others. These modernist theorists look for what is right and not what is wrong in a person. Various topics studied are happiness, character strengths, gratitude, mindfulness, grit and resilience, flourishing and optimism (American Psychological Association, 2022).

Follow these steps:

• First view the video, The Science of Character. The Science of Character (8 mins) explores the neuroscience and social science that proves that we can shape who we are, and who we want to be in the world.

The Science of CharacterLinks to an external site. Minimize Video

(Shlain, 2014)

• Take the VIA Survey FREE: First you need to register. This link will take you to the registration page. Fill in the information in the box and click the blue bar "Register Now." The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to answer all the questions. The more honestly you answer, the better your results. Upon completion you will receive your 24 character strengths and virtues in rank order. The top 5 are considered your signature strengths. We will be working with these 5 in the discussion post.

VIA Survey Registration Link Links to an external site.

• In your initial discussion post, discuss in detail:
  • List your 5 signature strengths (the top 5 items on this ranked order result from the survey.
  • How do you use these strengths today?
  • How can you use these strengths in your future career choice?
  • Finally, review all of the other strengths. Which one would you like to increase and why? How might that help you?
• For additional information on these character strengths and virtues, this link will take you to a resource with information regarding all 24 strengths.

The 24 Character Strengths Links to an external site.

(VIA Institute on Character, n.d.)

Your response should be in the 300-350 range. References and citations are expected to be used in the process of answering these questions. Additionally, respond to 2 of your classmates. Compare and contrast the experiences they have had with your own experiences. Ask them an additional question to help you better understand their viewpoint. Remember that you must do this with 2 of your classmates. Your responses to classmates should be in the 100-150 word range and should be more than just telling them they did a good job or stating your agreement with their response.

American Psychological Association. (2022). A primer on positive psychology. Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools.

King. L. A. (2022).Experience psychology(5th ed.). McGraw Hill.

Shlain, T. (2014, March 20). The science of character. Let it Ripple Studio. https://youtu.be/U3nT2KDAGOc

VIA Institute on Character. (n.d.). The 24 character strengths. https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths