I would like to share with you an important book about Character Strengths. The book is titled “Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life” and it is edited by my MAPP colleagues Shannon Polly and Kathryn Britton. I was honoured to contribute a chapter – it is an interview I conducted with author Robert Biswas-Diener about courage.
Proceeds from this book go to the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, and I encourage you to share the word and please consider buying a book through Amazon.
Here is further information about the book from Kathryn Britton’s press release:
The book honors the late Christopher Peterson who led the large team of psychologists that identified the 24 strengths that are the elements of good character. These are qualities such as creativity, leadership, hope, kindness, love, forgiveness, and bravery. Research on this survey shows using strengths in new ways for one week leads to higher levels of well-being up to six months later.
Proceeds from the book will go to the Christopher Peterson Memorial Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, a fund that supports training of future practitioners of positive psychology.
This has been a true labor of love, involving coordination with more than 30 authors, an illustrator, a cover designer, and a generous set of endorsers.
In addition to essays about each strength and ideas for building them, the book includes at least one read-aloud poem, monologue, or speech per character strength, based on the idea that reading aloud is one good way to act “as if” you have that strength, and thus enhance it. Shannon published Acting ”As If”, an article on Positive Psychology News Daily about that idea on June 25, the official launch date of the book.
Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness and Flourish, writes of the book:
”My friend, Chris Peterson, would have loved this book. It brings to life with personal stories, practical recommendations, wisdom, and humor the dry scholarship that he (with an assist from me) did in Character Strengths and Virtues. Chris was very down-to-earth, and I am sure he would have concurred in my enthusiastically recommending this book to everyone who works with character strengths in the real world.”
Jon Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis and The Righteous Mind, suggests a novel use of the book:
“… I particularly love that it is written for sharing. Every couple and every family should have a copy. This will become my standard dinner party gift, instead of a bottle of wine.“
Thank you for helping us celebrate this accomplishment.
I invite you to enjoy the book and to get the word out to your networks. Writing an Amazon review enables us to reach a larger audience and would be greatly appreciated.
You can find the book in both paperback and Kindle forms on Amazon.
This book is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Peterson (1950-2012), our mentor and inspiration in the exploration of character strengths. Christoper Peterson was the Arthur F. Thurnau professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was science director of the VIA Institute on Character and co-author of Character Strengths and Virtues, the classification of character strengths. One of the founders of positive psychology, he is noted for his study of character, optimism, health, and well-being, In 2010 Dr. Peterson won the Golden Apple Award for outstanding teaching at the University of Michigan.
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