What Is a Strength? Capitalize on Special Talent

Psychologists, especially those involved in the pursuit of positive psychology - the study of well-being - are focusing on strengths as one aspect of human ability with great potential for the individual and collective society. Martin Seligman (Authentic Happiness, Free Press 2002) described a set of 24 culturally independent strengths and a self assessment questionnaire which determined a person's top five or six signature strengths. Expanding on strengths, Alex Linley (Average to A+ CAPP Press, 2008) calls strengths "the smallest thing we can do to make the biggest difference."

What Is a Strength?

Linley describes a strength as, "a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development and performance." A strength is more than a competency. A strength is what one is good at, to be sure, but a strength, according to Linley, must contain the elements of being pre-existing, energizing, and authentic.

The Origin of Strengths

A spiritual view of the origin of a person's strengths might indicate they are the God-given talents provided to facilitate a person's achievement of life purpose. Viewed another way, scientists point out that the pre-existing nature of strengths can be seen in an evolutionary sense as part of the natural selection process of human survival.

Those with certain abilities important to survival passed on their traits to future generations. Though humans no longer are faced with the same survival challenges, the special abilities that allowed early humans to thrive and develop translate to strengths promoting high performance today.

Linley summarizes this evolutionary perspective this way, "...modern strengths can be understood as reconfigurations and re-combinations of the many thousands of adaptive solutions that came about through human evolution, and that exist across all human beings." Adaptive solutions to the obstacles of early human survival therefore form the basis for modern-day strengths.

The Strength Pyramid

With evolutionary adaptive solutions as the pyramid's base, Linley describes four additional levels contributing to the development of human strengths. These are: Nature, Nurture, Random Events, and Adaptiveness.

Nature, the genetic component passed on from earlier generations provides the neural framework of strengths.

Nurture, the family and cultural influence during early childhood sharpens the strengths favored and encouraged by the child's environment.

Random Events provide a person with circumstances and situations requiring solutions. Addressing these situations allows a person to grow latent strengths and extend existing strengths to previously untouched areas of accomplishment.

Adaptiveness further grows and extend one's strengths to new situations, such as when a person finds a need to function effectively in a new and untested field of endeavor.

Strengths Have Growth Potential

Though one might think that a person's pre-existing strengths are fairly rigid and unchangeable, Linley points out through the strength pyramid that strengths can grow in both overall aptitude and in new directions.

The Benefits of Strengths

Everyone is good at some things, not just good, but very good. These special talents or strengths not only allow a person to excel, but to do so with great energy, authenticity, and high performance. It feels good to use strengths.

Related Articles: Average to A+, Alex Linley on Realizing Strength, Strengths for Life Satisfaction

What is a Strength?

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