We explain what the strengths of a person are, examples and what each one implies. Also, what are the weaknesses of a person.
Personal strengths
Personal strengths are aspects of personality considered positive or useful for a life stable and happy, and that generally allow persons cope with existence in a better way. The latter may mean overcoming problems personal, stay the course of your own desires or simply adapt easily to certain scenarios.
Psychologists, philosophers, self-help gurus, and other figures have compiled lists of personal strengths and propose methods how to achieve them or how to develop them. However, the term personal strengths is not part of the academic language of the psychologyIt is neither a scientific nor a specialized term, so that its definition presents a certain margin of ambiguity or discrepancies depending on the point of view.
Therefore, there is no universal catalog of personal strengths, and in general this consideration may vary depending on the culture, the society or the historical moment.
Examples of strengths
Some traditional examples of personality strengths include the following:
- Courage or bravery. Understood as courage or daring, that is, as the ability to carry out actions that scare us (and not, as is often thought, as the total absence of fear). A fine line separates her from recklessness, however.
- Persistence or tenacity. Understood as the capacity of standing firm when the wind blows against us, that is, of not giving up on the tasks we have set ourselves when the first unexpected accidents occur or when the first complications arise.
- Intelligence. Although it is always difficult to define intelligence, we can understand it as a great ability to adapt to environments and situations, to find a relevant solution. Smart people tend to be more adaptable, more versatile and with more resources to interpret situations.
- Empathy or compassion. Understood as the ability to share the suffering of others, especially when it is in our hands to alleviate it. Being empathetic implies sympathizing with others, that is, being able to put yourself in someone else's shoes, and therefore not doing to others what we know will cause them harm.
- Leadership. Understood as the ability to lead a group, or to assume positions of authority. Not everyone feels comfortable in these roles, but people with leadership get others to follow them, to see in them someone capable of managing, distributing and running a human group.
- Creativity. Understood as the propensity to original thinking, that is, the tendency to see things from their own, different, novel points of view, and the impulse to materialize it in different types of activities: playful, artistic, useful, etc. Creativity not only has to do with artistic and literary thinking, but can also be applied to solving everyday problems.
- Self-control. Understood as self-control, that is, the ability to maintain character and take decisions rational despite being subjected to emotional pressure, or to painful or disturbing situations. A person with a lot of self-control is a person "in control of himself", that is, imperturbable.
- Resilience. Understood as the ability to turn traumatic or challenging experiences into learnings, and thus become stronger as experiences accumulate. We all have some degree of resilience to some degree, but there are people with this more developed trait, and these people tend to assimilate difficult moments in their lives much better.
- Assertiveness. Understood as the ability to communicate in the best way, that is, to know when to say things and how, to obtain a better response from the interlocutor. Assertive people know when to shut up, when to talk, and are generally very good communicators.
- Charisma. Understood as the "gift of people", that is, persuasiveness, the talent to attract others and make them see things in the same way as one. People with charisma are usually good leaders and good motivators, capable of “making others fall in love” with a cause. They are people who are usually very well received everywhere.
- Versatility. Understood as the ability to face very different tasks and commitments, with equal capacity and efficiency. A versatile person always has a place in teams, because he can, so to speak, play different positions, and he usually has very different talents that allow him to respond well to different challenges.
- Proactivity. Understood as the continuous willingness to undertake a task without someone having to be behind saying what, how and when to do. A proactive person is a person with initiative, who makes decisions and gives of himself much more than the minimum possible. That is to say, that he assumes an active attitude towards things, instead of a passive one, that waits for them to tell him what to do.
- Sagacity. Understood as a mixture of cunning and speed and mental agility. It is said that someone is shrewd when he perceives things quickly, without needing much explanation, and is able to anticipate their consequences, always being one step ahead of things. Shrewd people have a great capacity for reaction.
- Enthusiasm. Understood as the disposition towards the new, or as the desire to undertake a new task with a good face. Enthusiastic people are easily contagious with a good cause, and are always ready to undertake a task, while unenthusiastic people are always ready to complain, grumble, and are often resistant to all forms of action. change.
- Curiosity. Understood as the passion to learn, to acquire new knowledge Y experiences. Curious people are always willing to do new things and to acquire learning, and they are much more sensitive to the knowledge of others, which is why they are usually ideal for learning. innovation and the developing. Curiosity should not be confused with indiscretion, that is, with "being nosy."
- Sociability. Understood as the good disposition for social relationships, that is, for the understanding, the teamwork and, in general, affective, social or group interactions. It is generally easy for a sociable person to make friends, or at least strike up a conversation with strangers, and they are often the ones who keep a group together, despite their own contradictions.
- Concentration. Understood as the ability to abstract from the environment and focus deeply on a single thing, thus avoiding distractions and completing it correctly. A person without concentration is one who is easily distracted, who is always scattered and who, therefore, makes his or her movements advance very slowly. Projects.
- Honesty. Understood as personal commitment to truth, that is, with the disposition to tell the truth and to value the truth above personal convenience. This is also a virtue moral, valued by all religions, and one of the most appreciated traits of any personality.
- Discipline. Understood as the capacity for full commitment to the task that is carried out. Disciplined people are responsible, focused and committed, because they are able to manage their weather in the right way; While an undisciplined person is someone who quickly and easily abandons tasks, and who finds it difficult to assume a routine properly.
- Consideration. Understood as the willingness to take into account the needs of others, and therefore to be more empathetic and respectful. A person is considered when he does not think only of himself, but takes into account the welfare of the others around her, thus trying to make them feel as comfortable as possible with her. It can be understood as a mixture of empathy and generosity.
Personal weaknesses
Unlike personal strengths, weaknesses are those weak or little cultivated aspects of the personality, which make us more prone to make certain mistakes, or prevent us from carrying out with success and efficiently some activity.
Weaknesses can be understood as vulnerabilities Character, and as with strengths, depend on the way of interpreting the way of being, that is, they are not usually completely universal.