Our ‘character’ is comprised of our values, attitudes, and behaviors that guide how we interact with others. If you have ever been around a person who lacks character strengths (e.g., a person who is rude and cruel, who is impatient, who is chronically negative, who only looks out for themselves, who gets easily frustrated and angry), you quickly appreciate the importance of these attributes.
‘Character strengths’ can be described to preschool and primary-school-aged children as, “ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that help us to have a happier life and make good friends”. Character strengths have been linked to many positive outcomes, including better interpersonal skills, more social connections, better physical health, better psychological functioning, academic/educational achievements, occupational/career advancements, and more resilient to life stressors. Helping children to develop ‘character strengths’ not only proactively equips them with the attributes for leading a prosocial life, but it can also help reduce the risk of acquiring abusive behaviors.
My recently published book(s), Jimmy & Invo’s Superpowers: A GUIDE for Developing Children’s Character Strengths and the accompanying STORYBOOK, can assist parents, counselors, and teachers in educating children about key character strengths. The book features six-character strengths and one external support, which are all superpower-like in their positive effect on our lives.
The book features six-character strengths and one external support, which are all superpower-like in their positive effect on our lives.
Being KIND (to OTHERS, to NATURE, to SELF)
Having PATIENCE
Having FUN and LAUGHING
Having EMPATHY (Knowing How Others Are Thinking and Feeling)
MANAGING YOUR FEELINGS
WORKING HARD (Even When Something is Difficult)
Having POSITIVE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE Who Care About You
#1 Being KIND
“Being KIND” (being compassionate, respectful, and helpful) towards others is a valuable character strength. Kindness can also be directed towards our self (i.e., good self-care, including sleep, exercise, nutrition, leisure activities) and our natural environment (i.e., reusing, recycling, and utilizing alternative energy). All forms of kindness lead to good outcomes when practiced within our homes and within our community interactions with unique and diverse people.
“Being KIND” has been researched using a variety of closely related constructs and labels including “prosocial behaviors,” “helping behaviors,” “altruism,” “bystander intervention,” and “selfcompassion.” Research tells us that “Being KIND” can enhance a person’s subjective well-being, including increased happiness and reduced stress. “Being KIND” also has social benefits (e.g., healthier interpersonal relationships, more cooperation, and more social connections) and physiological benefits including lower risk for cardiovascular disease
#2 Having PATIENCE
“Having PATIENCE” involves the process of resisting short-term temptations, in order to wait for something better down the road. Several terms have been used to describe this character strength, including “delayed gratification,” “willpower,” “self-discipline,” and “self-control.” Research has found that children who “have patience” often benefit from positive life outcomes, even decades later. These favorable outcomes include greater physical and mental health, better academic success, fewer substance abuse problems, fewer criminal convictions, and better financial security and savings behaviors. And research has revealed that with practice, children can be taught to have patience, especially when they are living in a reliable, enriched environment.
#3 Having FUN AND LAUGHING
The character strength/superpower of “Having FUN and LAUGHING” is easy to define, because it is selfexplanatory. It involves doing things that you enjoy, make you happy, and make you laugh. This character strength has been researched using a variety of different terms including, “positive emotions,” “playfulness,” “positive humor,” and “zest.” Youth with this Superpower are more likely to approach life from the perspective of the glass being half-full as opposed to half-empty. Research has found that positive affect, laughter, and humor are linked to good outcomes including increased happiness, increased resilience, better management of stress, and enhanced social interactions and school engagement. This character strength reminds kids and adults to have fun and be careful not to take themselves too seriously.
It is important to note that the type of humor that is linked to positive outcomes is a health-promoting humor style referred to as affiliative humor and self-enhancing humor. This type of humor is tolerant, accepting, relational, self-supportive, playful, light-hearted, and makes others smile. In contrast, humor that is rude, sarcastic, or aggressive is NOT a Superpower.
#4 Having EMPATHY
“Having EMPATHY” is another important character strength/ superpower. Empathy involves the ability to accurately understand how another person is thinking and feeling. It has been described as the “psychological superglue” that connects people and is the foundation for cooperation and kindness. It is an essential skill for establishing and maintaining positive social interactions. Empathy has been studied and labeled using a variety of overlapping constructs that include “compassion,” “sympathy,” “perspective taking,” “emotional intelligence,” and “social intelligence.”
It is vital that we assist the next generation in understanding the importance of having empathy for each other. The survival of our world requires us to have empathy for everyone as citizens of the world, as opposed to having empathy for only an exclusive inner group of people.
#5 MANAGING YOUR FEELINGS
This character strength involves the ability to manage your emotions and react adaptively when faced with life stressors. It has been studied using a variety of overlapping concepts that include “selfregulation,” “emotional regulation,” “cognitive appraisal,” and “positive expectancies.” People who manage their feelings well typically experience better life outcomes, as it relates to social-emotional well-being, physical health, academic achievement, and socioeconomic success. Having good self-regulation in your early school years has been linked to a lower incidence of problematic behaviors during adolescence and into adulthood, including less aggressive behavior, depressive symptoms, obesity, cigarette smoking, and illicit drug use. In contrast, people who lack this character strength often respond to life stressors in ways that are destructive to themselves and/or others. They are more 3 likely to take on a noncaring attitude and respond in emotionally impulsive ways. The more we equip children with emotional regulation skills, the more resilient they will be in life.
#6 WORKING HARD EVEN WHEN SOMETHING IS DIFFICULT
If you think about a student easily giving up whenever schoolwork gets difficult, or an adult who quits their job the minute it gets a little challenging, you quickly understand the importance of this character strength. “WORKING HARD Even When Something Is Difficult” has been studied using a variety of overlapping concepts that include “perseverance,” “conscientiousness,” “industriousness,” “growth mindset,” “grit,” “resilience,” and “self-efficacy.” Children and adults who learn to exert effort even when things get challenging often benefit from good life outcomes. These positive outcomes include increased life satisfaction, healthy social relationships, better academic achievement, better job performance, better physical health, and increased longevity.
#7 Having POSITIVE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE
This final attribute, “Having POSITIVE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE Who Care About You” is not an internal character strength like the others. It is the external supports that assist children in developing their personal character strengths. These external supports have been described and studied using a variety of labels, including “family & social connections,” “safe, stable, nurturing relationships,” and “family resilience.” When children have stable, positive people in their lives, they are more likely to feel physically and psychologically safe, which is essential for developing character strengths.
Having positive people who model prosocial ways of interacting in the world and who reinforce these attributes can help children develop a whole range of character strengths. When we nurture and model character strengths in our roles as parents, teachers, human service providers, supervisors, government officials, news media executives, journalists, and social media users, we all reap the benefits.
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