Discover Your Character Strengths in 15 Minutes
People who do not understand themselves have a craving for understanding. ~Wilhelm Stekel
Nobody likes to undergo a psycho-test to know what kind of mental disorders they have. Although all psychologists, especially from the clinical specialty, were primarily taught to analyze deficits and disorders, it just never make anyone feel good to concentrate on their weaknesses. So instead of describing the negative tendencies, why not focusing on your character strengths? It’s good to know that each one of us have different positive sides.
It all began with Putu’s tulisan monolog which attracts me to know what my character strengths are. Most of us, at the very least, have the sense of our own’s strengths, but it’s nice to have it written down after a scientific analysis. So, check out this VIA-IS Survey to know your top 5 character strengths and please be honest as your answers should be based on your real actions in the past four weeks instead of your idealism. By the way, VIA-IS stands for “Value in Action Inventory of Strengths”.
If you have more time, you can take the full test (240 questions) instead of just the brief one (24 questions only). Either way, you will have the complete result of 24 dimensions in order of strength. Certainly you can regard the most bottom dimension as your weakness. But again, let’s concentrate first on your 5 tops.
Whether you believe the result or not, hope you’ll find something useful out of it. Use it for job interview material, for instance 
Anyway, here are my 5 top character strengths. Do you agree with the list?
Your Top Character Strength
Open-mindedness [judgment, critical thinking]
Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly
Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness - Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.
Your Second Character Strength
Leadership
Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen
Leadership - You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.
Your Third Character Strength
Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]
Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort
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.
Your Fourth Character Strength
Curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]
Taking an interest in all of ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering
Curiosity and interest in the world - You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.
Your Fifth Character Strength
Perspective [wisdom]
Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people
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.
Well, kita sama ya. 2nd character strengh nya = leadership. Masih bingung apa gue kudu jadi pandhita hehehe…or paling ngga sih motivator kali ya???
Posted January 23, 2009, 4:32 am