Dr. Karl Menninger was one of the earliest psychiatrists who was invested the transformation of the manner in which care professionals viewed mental illnesses. He founded the famous Menninger clinic. His idea was that yes, there is disease and weaknesses among people, but so is there health and strengths. He reminded people of the power of the “sublime expressions of the life instinct” which he termed as hope, faith and love. Within the Christian tradition, faith, hope and love are theological virtues which bring about the fullness of one’s relationship with God.
This emphasis was on strengths: your capacity for feeling, thinking, and behaving in a way that allows optimal functioning in the pursuit of valued outcomes (Linley and Harrington, 2006). Professor Donald Clinton from the University of Nebraska devoted more than 50 years of research to finding an empirically grounded (meaning based on theory, research and findings) framework for spotting strengths. He believed that this strengths finder could also help people spot their talents which he defined as naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied and manifested in life experiences characterized by yearnings, rapid learning, satisfaction, and timelessness (Hodges & Clifton, 2004).
From an initial list of 5000 items, through rigorous research, we now have a list of 34 strengths or themes. One can reliably assume that most people have the following strengths in some form.
Do the following:
- Scan through the list without reading the definitions.
- Read all the strengths carefully and pay attention to the ones that makes sense to you the most.
- Create a list of 17 strengths that you identify with the most.
- Read your new list of 17 strengths and reduce it further to your top 10 strengths in order.
- Do it again with the top ten and reduce the list to five major themes/strengths. List them in order with number one being your highest strength.
- Try to engage with your life’s roles from a point of your strengths: Choose a profession around your strengths, engage in your current profession from a point of your strengths, ensure your relationships, romantic or not, help you to maximize on your strengths.
You can do this exercise by yourself but it would be exciting to do with a trusted friend or family. They definitely know you more in some areas than you do. Be humble. Ask for help. Here is the list:
The 34 Clifton StrengthsFinder Themes
Achiever: People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Activator: People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.
Adaptability: People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.
Analytical: People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.
Arranger: People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements that ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.
Belief: People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of those values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Command: People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.
Communication: People strong in the Communications theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
Competition: People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Connectedness: People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.
Consistency: People strong in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world with consistency by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.
Context: People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Deliberative: People strong in the Deliberative theme are best characterized by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.
Developer: People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from those improvements.
Discipline: People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Empathy: People strong in Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives and in others’ situations.
Focus: People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track.
Futuristic: People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their vision of the future.
Harmony: People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.
Ideation: People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
Includer: People strong in the Includer theme are accepting of others. They show awareness of those who feel left out and make efforts to include them.
Individualization: People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
Input: People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Intellection: People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.
Learner: People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to improve continuously.
Maximizer: People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate professional and group excellence. They seek to transform strengths into something superb.
Positivity: People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Relator: People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Responsibility: People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Restorative: People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.
Self-Assurance: People strong in the Self-Assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives. They possess an inner compass that gives them confidence that their decisions are right.
Significance: People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
Strategic: People strong in the strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
WOO: WOO stands for “winning others over.” Careful. Not “Winning over others!” People strong in the WOO theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
