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 the personality considered positive or useful for a stable and happy life, and that generally allow people to cope with existence in a better way. The latter may mean overcoming personal problems, staying the course of your own desires, or simply adjusting easily to certain scenarios.
Psychologists, philosophers, self-help gurus, and other figures have compiled lists of personal strengths and propose methods of how to achieve or develop them. However, the term personal strengths it is not part of the academic language of psychology, nor is it a scientific term nor specialized, 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 culture, society or historical moment.
Examples of personal strengths
Some traditional examples of personality strengths are as follows:
- 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 toughness. Understood as the ability to stand firm when the wind blows against, that is, not to give up the tasks that we have proposed 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. Intelligent 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: recreational, 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 make rational decisions despite being subjected to emotional pressure, or 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 learning, 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 the difficult moments of 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 tend to be good leaders and good motivators, capable of “falling in love” with others for 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. Sagacious 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 change.
- Curiosity. Understood as the passion to learn, to acquire new knowledge and experiences. Curious people are always ready to learn new things and learn, and they are much more sensitive to the knowledge of others, which is why they are usually ideal for innovation and development. Curiosity should not be confused with indiscretion, that is, with “being nosy.”
- Sociability. Understood as a good disposition for social relationships, that is, for understanding, 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 projects advance very slowly.
- Honesty. Understood as the personal commitment to the truth, that is, with the willingness to tell the truth and value the truth above personal convenience. This is also a moral virtue, 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 capable of managing their time in the ideal 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 considerate when he does not think only of himself, but takes into account the well-being of others around him, thus trying to make them feel as comfortable as possible with him. It can be understood as a mixture of empathy and generosity.
Personal weaknesses
Unlike personal strengths, weaknesses are those skinny or little cultivated aspects of the personality, which make us more prone to making certain mistakes, or prevent us from successfully and efficiently carrying out any activity.
Weaknesses can be understood as vulnerabilities of character, and as with strengths, they depend on the way of interpreting the way of being, that is, they are not usually completely universal.