Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification Review

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Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification ReviewIt sounds like a reference book, but the first 89 pages alone is worth the purchase. Who would have guessed that Confucianists, Taoists, Hindus, Buddhists, Christans, Jews, Greeks, Charlemange, Ben Franklin and The Boy Scouts of America could reach a consensus on the definition of "good character"? Well, no one of course. However, now that all the key characters are history (OK--but it many not be long for the Scouts if they aren't careful), these authors have rather brilliantly assessed the central writings of each source and created a credible structure of 6 key virtues that are made up of a total of 24 subcomponents they call "strengths" that have been recognized across a span of 2500 years and many cultures. They tie this into youth development research, the history of philosophy, evolutionary psychology and a fascinating analysis of the rise and fall and rise again of the concept of "character" in psychology. Then--did you ever want to learn more about the virtue of "Wisdom"--such as its history, the measurement techniques, the research--this is the place to read about it. How about "Justice"? Wow, this is fascinating reading because these psychologists carry everything from history through various disciplines down to measurement. If you dont' think this is new, consider the fact that psychologists have studied "insanity" for years. We can tell you if you are very insane, somewhat insane or have no symptoms. What is the positive half of that dimension? You want yourself and your children and those around you to be far far away from merely lacking symptoms--you want positive mental health. Fascinating topic. You want to read original sources? This book has 117 pages of references. That is about 2000 books and articles. Why not be lazy and read this well-written compliation of this vast literature that has been assembled and reviewed by a dedicated band of researchers. This book won't replace Dr. Spock for the masses, but gives some excellent insights that can reframe how you the voter and our esteemed government policy wonks approach education and child development. For the avid research psychologist, there are many provocative research ideas here that the authors claim they will work on someday. I am certain that they are still tired from writing the book, so get busy!Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification Overview"Character" has become a front-and-center topic in contemporary discourse, but this term does not have a fixed meaning. Character may be simply defined by what someone does not do, but a more active and thorough definition is necessary, one that addresses certain vital questions. Is character a singular characteristic of an individual, or is it composed of different aspects? Does character--however we define it--exist in degrees, or is it simply something one happens to have? How can character be developed? Can it be learned? Relatedly, can it be taught, and who might be the most effective teacher? What roles are played by family, schools, the media, religion, and the larger culture? This groundbreaking handbook of character strengths and virtues is the first progress report from a prestigious group of researchers who have undertaken the systematic classification and measurement of widely valued positive traits. They approach good character in terms of separate strengths-authenticity, persistence, kindness, gratitude, hope, humor, and so on-each of which exists in degrees. Character Strengths and Virtues classifies twenty-four specific strengths under six broad virtues that consistently emerge across history and culture: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each strength is thoroughly examined in its own chapter, with special attention to its meaning, explanation, measurement, causes, correlates, consequences, and development across the life span, as well as to strategies for its deliberate cultivation. This book demands the attention of anyone interested in psychology and what it can teach about the good life.

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Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Review

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Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Review"Creativity" provided an outstanding analysis of how Creativity occurs, and how creative individuals have influenced their respective fields and domains of knowledge and arts through the analysis of over ninety creative individuals of note. This book provides an outline of the process that is useful to any person who is attempting to enhance organizational or personal creativity, and details the components of Creativity (which can influence the overall culture) and creativity (for an individual.) I read my copy twice, and found certain topics so useful, I violated my own rule of never marking in a book. This book is now heavily annotated and underlined, and has been shared with friends. Following is a very brief summary.
The components of creativity include domains, fields, and persons. A domain is defined as, "a set of symbolic rules and procedures," such as mathematics. A field "includes all the individuals who act as gatekeepers to the domain." This can be summarized as, "Creativity occurs when a person, using the symbols of a given domain such as music, engineering, business, or mathematics, has a new idea or sees a new pattern, and when this novelty is selected by the appropriate field for inclusion into the relevant domain."
The book presents an analysis of the impact of creativity by taking a systems approach with the following major components: Creative individuals, through understanding of their field, hard work, and inspiration can produce novel work. This work may or may not impact the overall field and domain, depending upon a variety of interrelated factors. For instance, a talented but relatively unknown painter in a rural area may have less chance of recognition by the field than the same painter living in Manhattan, in proximity to galleries and noted critics. Recognition and acceptance by the field is necessary for contribution to the field and domain. (such as physics, or art).
The book has an excellent, though smaller, section on enhancing personal creativity. To those who seek to be more creative, a series of suggestions on how to implement these suggestions into everyday life is presented, with the note; "Even though personal creativity may not lead to fame and fortune, it can do something that from the individual's point of view is even more important: make day-to-day experiences more vivid, more enjoyable, more rewarding. When we live creatively, boredom is banished and every moment holds the promise of a fresh discovery."
The exercise of these elements of personal creativity can be delightful. Some of them are:
"Try to surprise at least one person every day."
"Try to be surprised by something every day."
"When something strikes a spark of interest, follow it."
"If you do anything well, it becomes enjoyable."
For the rest, you will just have to buy the book.Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Overview

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The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate Review

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The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate ReviewThis is a useful book. The Mindful Child offers simple techniques to help parents help children (of all ages) gain more control over their responses to the world -increasing happiness and calmness as a result. The author does a great job of distilling age-old mindfulness and meditation techniques into simple exercises and games that children and any non yoga-fanatic can do. You can tell this is a book written by a real mom who has seen the results in action - her sincerity and conviction come through throughout - and that makes a huge difference for me. I gave the book to my sister who has two young kids and both she and I found it enormously helpful. We had fun playing the games and activities and the kids did too! Without being preachy or new-agey, this book offers way to get kids to tune out the noise of tv, internet etc. and focus more on themselves. One exercise asks them to imagine what could be inside a closed box, which, in a group setting, encourages kids to be creative and creates a suspenseful, engaging scenario; the game helps children not only use their creativity, it helps them become better aware of each other as well.The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate OverviewThe techniques of mindful awareness have helped millions of adults reduce stress in their lives. Now, children—who are under more pressure than ever before—can learn to protect themselves with these well-established methods adapted for their ages. Based on a program affiliated with UCLA, The Mindful Child is a groundbreaking book, the first to show parents how to teach these transformative practices to their children.Mindful awareness works by enabling you to pay closer attention to what is happening within you—your thoughts, feelings, and emotions—so you can better understand what is happening to you. The Mindful Child extends the vast benefits of mindfulness training to children from four to eighteen years old with age-appropriate exercises, songs, games, and fables that Susan Kaiser Greenland has developed over more than a decade of teaching mindful awareness to kids. These fun and friendly techniques build kids' inner and outer awareness and attention, which positively affects their academic performance as well as their social and emotional skills, such as making friends, being compassionate and kind to others, and playing sports, while also providing tools to manage stress and to overcome specific challenges like insomnia, overeating, ADHD, hyper-perfectionism, anxiety, and chronic pain. When children take a few moments before responding to stressful situations, they allow their own healthy inner compasses to click in and guide them to become more thoughtful, resilient, and empathetic. The step-by-step process of mental training presented in The Mindful Child provides tools from which all children—and all families—will benefit.

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