Curiosity-Character Strength

Virtue of Wisdom and Knowledge

This virtue is finding and using information to help promote a healthy life-your own and others. All the virtues are based on doing no harm to yourself and others.

Wisdom and knowledge contains five character strengths: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective.

Curiosity

Curiosity-An interest in ongoing experience. Curious people look for variety and challenge. They desire to know things. Curiosity is different than the character strengths of love of learning and vitality/zest. We enjoy people who have varied interests and talents. We can feel appreciated and valued when someone is curious about what we think. A person who is overly curious can act intrusively—asking too many questions. The opposites of curiosity are boredom and a lack of interest in life or people.

According to Erickson, who developed a theory of psychosocial stages of human development, curiosity as a character strength can be developed between the ages of 3 to 6 years old. During this age range, children need to learn to start their own activities and gain confidence in oneself. Children can initiate their own play with themselves or with others.

Curiosity can be expressed through introspection-turning our attention inward to our subjective experience. We can show an interest in our own thoughts and feelings throughout the day. Check in with yourself throughout the day and ask, “How am I feeling? What am I thinking? How am I behaving?”

Noticing Curiosity

        Think of one way you express curiosity in your everyday life.

        Think of one way you are curious at work.

         Is there one thing you have been curious to learn about and have not taken the         time to explore? 

        Would you be willing to take a few minutes today and pursue an interest?

Cultivating Creativity

Virtues and Character Strengths

In the next several months I will be discussing with you the six virtues and twenty-four character strengths as identified by Peterson and Seligman in their book Character Strengths and Virtues (2004).

Many ways exist to cultivate an ethical life. I like this classification of virtues and strengths. As an exercise of introspection, I invite you to visit the website www.authentichappiness.com. Select the questionnaire entitled “VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire.” It takes about thirty minutes to complete. You then get the results of your character strengths from the top one to number twenty-four. You can refer to it as I explain the virtues and character strengths.

Virtue of Wisdom and Knowledge

This virtue is finding and using information to help promote a healthy life-your own and others. All the virtues are based on doing no harm to yourself and others.

Wisdom and knowledge contains five character strengths: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective. To practice a virtue we need to express on a regular basis two or more of the related character strengths. Character strengths can be developed thru our consistent and conscious effort.

Creativity-Character Strength

Creativity- It improves your life and the life of others. Creativity is all around us. People have created the furniture in our homes, the movies we watch, the music we listen to, the books we read, and the inventions that make our life easier. A person who is creative does not hurt of harm others with his/her creation. Everyday creativity abounds—a family member who plays piano, a neighbor who makes birdhouses, our friend who writes poetry, and cooking a meal for our family. Society encourages creativity in the forms of classes in drama and dance, music, cooking, and learning a language. The opposites of creativity are descriptions such as boring, dull, and lacking imagination.

Noticing Creativity

1. Think of one way you are creative in your everyday life.
2. Think of one way you are creative at work.
3. Is there one thing you can do today that is a creative act?
4. Is there one class or activity that you would like to do?
5. Think of one person whose creativity you admire. Let them know you appreciate how he or she expresses it.