Examples of character strengths. How to build character

Character occupies a fundamental, significant and significant place in the personality structure. It is an individual feature and characteristic of each person. But the concepts of “character” and “personality” are often perceived as identical, although in modern psychology their content is separated. Therefore, it is very important to understand what character is and what place it occupies in a person’s personality. Let us consider the content of these issues in more detail in the article.

In modern psychological science, there are several definitions of what character is. The traditional concept includes the following. Character is a holistic psychological formation that contains a complex of stable and reflective attitudes this person to events, people, the surrounding world, phenomena, and the activities of other people. It manifests itself in communication and objective activities with others, including what gives behavior a specific and characteristic shade.

It also includes a number of components:

manner of behavior;
ways of responding to the actions of other people;
manner of communication;
emotional restraint - incontinence;
presence of aggression in behavior.

If we talk about what character is, then we also need to dwell on the fact that it can be strong and weak. Let's consider this fact in more detail.

People having a strong character , will prefer to be involved in difficult and complex species activities. They need to create, and then overcome, the obstacles and obstacles they have set themselves. Moreover, this process will give them pleasure and satisfaction.

We will try to describe a person with a strong character. He must be distinguished by purposefulness, perseverance, perseverance, desire and desire to achieve the assigned tasks. He will not stop halfway, moving firmly and confidently towards the intended results. Such a person, as a rule, understands perfectly what he wants from life and a specific situation. Usually his actions and actions are thought out, planned, and aimed at solving specific problems. When difficulties arise, he will not back down or give up.

A person of weak character will try to choose simple and easily accessible goals, trying not to create problems for himself. He will prefer to bypass rather than overcome the same difficulties that arise.

A weak-willed person is characterized by the following qualities: unpredictability of actions. He will not be able to defend his opinion, because he will not have enough strength and will to achieve his goals, for self-improvement and self-realization. A weak person is susceptible to the influence of others, he is easily suggestible because he cannot resist others, choosing the easier path.

Therefore, a manifestation of character will also be how purposeful and active a person is. For some, what is important and significant is what the result will be after completing this or that work. These are character strengths. For another category of citizens, achieving the goal is absolutely indifferent; they live on the basis of the principle “maybe it will work out.”

In general, it can be noted that a person with a clearly expressed strong character always stands out among the rest. But there are few such individuals. Most people have an average character, their individual characteristics And distinctive features.

But if we talk about what character is in its everyday understanding, then we usually put into this term a meaning that is associated with behaving independently, regardless of existing circumstances, purposefully and persistently.

Question from our reader Boris: More than once I have heard the opinions of other people about myself who said that I was weak-willed. Tell me, how to develop a strong character? Now I understand that when I was growing up, there was no example of a person with a strong character next to me from whom I could learn. Is it possible to develop a strong character as an adult?

I’ll answer your question right away, Boris. Yes, strong character can be formed at any age., there would be a desire and understanding of how to do this. And now let's talk about everything in order.

Indeed, it is the character of a person that largely determines what his fate will be. In essence, character is a manifestation inner person, an imprint on the road of life of all his beliefs, principles, personal qualities, habits and external manifestations, everything that he managed to know and form during his life.

What is Strong Character?

A strong character- this is the ability to unswervingly follow chosen beliefs, life principles and goals, ideally, the laws of honor. Dull, thoughtless stubbornness has nothing to do with strength of character, but is just a manifestation of a person, his inflated ego and lack of awareness.

Strength of Character– is determined by the strength of a person’s beliefs and principles, strength of spirit and willpower.

The Power of Beliefs and Principles– this is a certain built-up attitude towards oneself, one’s destiny and the world around us. For Samurai, for example, this is the code of Bushido. For a Russian officer - the code of a Russian officer.
Strength of mind- this is Valor and other strong qualities that determine the triumph of the spirit (spiritual) over the body (over the material).
– the ability to patiently overcome internal resistance (laziness, weaknesses, desires or reluctance) and external obstacles in achieving the goal.

More detailed information about who a Strong Man is.

Respectively, Weak character– this is the absence of clear life principles, strong beliefs and lack of will. Which often implies cowardice, cowardice, dependence, and the presence of other vices and weaknesses. Each weak-willed person has his own set of such weak points.

Weakness is often a consequence of spinelessness. About what spinelessness is.

How to develop a strong character?

A strong character is developed either from childhood, as for example knights were raised, from the age of seven. Or life itself strengthens a person’s character, leading him through a series of difficulties, obstacles and trials. Or a strong character is formed by a person himself, working on himself every day, purposefully creating the necessary conditions for this.

But first, let’s answer the question: how is it impossible to develop a strong character? It is impossible to develop a strong character:

without leaving your usual comfort zone
without overcoming your own internal weaknesses (laziness, fears, etc.), but indulging all your whims, desires and vices
Strength of character cannot be cultivated only in thoughts and dreams, without passing real tests in real life
without rhythmic training, without forming your own will and discipline. Character is trained only by regular effort.
without self-respect and inner dignity. On pride and arrogance or in the role of a nonentity, true character won't grow
without struggle in life and overcoming any external obstacles. When everything is smooth and everything comes into your own hands, a strong character is not particularly needed
without significant motivation. Truly strong character develops only when there is a worthy, meaningful goal.
on violence against oneself. It is necessary to distinguish between violence and discipline

So, what you need to do to develop a strong character:

1. Strong Character is formed by working on one’s beliefs, cultivating the strength of the Spirit and willpower. Read more about this and instructions for action in the relevant articles:

2. Character is developed not on paper or in the mind, but in real life. Therefore, first of all, decide on your life goals, the achievement of which will require you to have a strong character and powerful personal qualities.

3. Be sure to identify an activity for yourself that will require you to constantly overcome your weaknesses. For example, take up martial arts or some other sport.

4. One of the foundations of a strong character is a powerful invulnerability: self-confidence and self-esteem. Instructions here:

5. Living examples and images always help. Find yourself an example - a historical figure or movie character whom you would like to be like in character. Visualize your goal. To fully experience the required image, get imbued with impressions - watch relevant films about strong and worthy people(about knights and warriors), read books with suitable heroes.

6. Strong character is, among other things, the ability to control oneself, tame one’s passions, manage one’s desires and emotions. Read more:

Examples strengths character.
How to build character.

Word Character Greek origin(χαρακτήρα), originally the name given to a stamp for printing an image (the profile of a monarch) on coins. Initially, this word was associated with such aspects of a person as honesty, courage, perseverance, determination and loyalty. Today, character can be soft, stubborn, adventurous, and so on. But this is no longer character, but human shortcomings. Character is closely related to a person's temperament and abilities. In humans, it is formed in childhood, in adolescence. Therefore, sometimes as a result of improper upbringing or under the influence of difficult life situations a person develops a weak, weak-willed character. This character is characterized by indecisiveness, problems communicating with people, susceptibility to temptation and excessive sensitivity. As a rule, a weak-willed person himself suffers from his own character; he cannot achieve success in life, often makes incorrect, uninformed decisions, and suffers from depression and low self-esteem. But it's never too late to change. By changing your character, you will change the world around you.

1. What constitutes strength of character.

Strength of character consists of those qualities that allow a person to exercise control over his instincts and passions, to resist the hundreds of temptations that we constantly face. In addition, strength of character lies in freedom from prejudice and prejudice, in tolerance, love and respect for others.

2. Why strength of character is important for a person:

Strength of character allows you to freely exercise your will and helps you cope with problems. Strong character is the means to achieve success in achieving your goals. A strong-willed person will always find the courage to admit his own mistakes, shortcomings and weak sides and will not complain about life, as many are inclined to do.

3. A person with a tempered character is able to empathize.

You should not think that a strong character always means toughness, inflexibility, and sometimes rudeness. Often behind such qualities a person hides his complexes and weaknesses. Only a person with a strong character (it doesn’t matter whether it’s a woman or a man) is able to empathize and sympathize with another. A weak person is usually selfish; he thinks, first of all, about himself. Empathy implies, in addition to sympathy, support, help and love for the needy. This quality echoes the New Testament commandment of Jesus Christ: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

4. A person of strong character always seeks the truth and the root cause.

A person of strong character will consider all the facts using the intellect rather than the heart. To find out the root cause of an event, your mind must prevail over your emotions.

The solution to most issues must be found, avoiding getting entangled in the chaos of sensations, guesses, prejudices, likes and dislikes.

5. A person with a strong character can't be called a pessimist, nor an optimist, he is always a leader. A pessimist complains about the wind, an optimist expects unfavorable weather will change and the wind will blow in the right direction, and the leader takes measures to ensure that the ship sails to its destination in any weather.

6. Countering irrational impulses.

Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas believed that there were seven human passions: love and hate, desire and fear, joy and sadness, anger. These emotions and desires are common for every person, but they prevent us from making rational decisions in our destiny or even enslave us in everyday life. There are a lot of sayings about this. For example, love is evil, you will love a goat, or anger is a bad advisor. Fear has big eyes. Sadness and despondency can result from prolonged depression. Weak-willed people follow their passions, while strong-willed people are able to resist psychological self-destruction.

7. Be content with what you have.

A strong, strong-willed person does not envy. There is such an ironic aphorism: “It’s good where we are not!” In fact, you can't know for sure. And where we are not there, they reason the same way.

8. Be determined enough when it is necessary to take justifiable risks. If you avoid struggle, you give up victory and the joy associated with it.

9. Don't let strangers impose one's will, and do not impose your will on others.

There are so many people, so many opinions, you can’t please everyone. Your actions and your actions will cause approval from some, and dissatisfaction from others. The main thing is the inner confidence that you are doing the right thing and the common sense that you are guided by. At the same time, a strong-willed person must respect other people's opinions, even if he does not agree with them.

10. Learn to do good and avoid evil.

Strength of spirit does not lie in going over your head towards your goal, humiliating or destroying those who are weaker than you. At first glance, charity and helping one's neighbor have nothing to do with force. But remember yourself as a little child.

Our parents always took care of us, protected and protected us when we were defenseless. For a child, mom and dad are adults strong people that you can rely on. Therefore, by helping the people around you, you become stronger in the eyes of others and increase your own self-esteem.

11. Learn to manage your feelings.

Don't let anything other than common sense influence your actions and actions. We are all living people, and it can be difficult to make decisions and soberly assess the facts without succumbing to emotions, especially in critical situation. But remember how much trouble you have already made while being in a state of emotional chaos.

12. Always look for the golden mean in everything.

Greed and wastefulness, gloominess and recklessness, nihilism and tolerance raised to the absolute - all this is the lot of weak people. Youthful maximalism is permissible for teenagers. A person with a strong character never rushes to extremes.

13. Try to always remain calm.

Calmness is an indispensable condition for strong character. A balanced state will allow you to focus and accept correct solution. Inner contemplation leads to ideas, ideas lead to opportunities, and opportunities lead to success. Just don’t confuse calm with indifference. Indifference leads to degradation.

14. Focus on positive emotions, and don’t beat yourself up over negativity. Agree, the character of a person who constantly whines and complains about his fate cannot be called tempered.

Count your successes, not your troubles. Fill your mind with positive thoughts, because our life is what we think about it.

15. No to fatalism and doom.

Everyone is responsible for the development and course of their life. The fatalist believes that everything in his life is already predetermined, and he cannot change anything. This implies lack of initiative and refusal of all attempts to influence one’s destiny. Fatalism and willpower, strength of character are incompatible. The prophet Jonah, who, according to the Bible, spent three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, at the command of God doomed the inhabitants of Nineveh to death for their sins. But this prediction did not come true! The admonished residents repented and thus changed their fate.

16. Learn to wait.

Have patience, a person with a strong character does not give up; when faced with obstacles, he will go to the end. Learn to delay the pleasure of winning until later. late date, if achieving it takes a long time, learn to wait.

17. Conquer your fears.

Timidity, cowardice, shyness, these character flaws are a stumbling block to success. Of course, there are fears that cannot be eliminated; they can only be overcome. For example, fears associated with the instinct of self-preservation: fear of heights, fear of enclosed spaces, etc. Only fools are not afraid.

In everyday life everything is much more prosaic; people may be afraid public speaking or openly express your opinion different from the majority. By stepping over fear, a person strengthens his character and gains respect, first of all, for himself. Each small victory over oneself gives strength and determination to act until victory.

18. Just as a gardener must remove all weeds in order to grow fruit, so you must get rid of thoughts which act like weeds that undermine your strength and self-confidence. First of all, you need to get rid of self-doubt. Under no circumstances should you exhaust yourself with idle thoughts: “What will anyone think of me, or yesterday I was not at my best.”

20. Try to always be truthful in all things and in all aspects of life. When you lie, you are first of all being dishonest to yourself. If the deception is revealed, then you look pathetic in the eyes of others, what kind of strength of character is there?

21. Avoid idleness and idleness like the plague. The habit of work, no matter physical or intellectual, disciplines and strengthens character, strengthens willpower. A person who is strong in spirit cannot be a slacker.

A “strong personality” can be described different ways. Some of the most common characteristics of such a personality include honesty, loyalty, and good knowledge of work etiquette. To strengthen different sides of its own nature, you can use it enough general recommendations. First of all, you need to work on developing the best character traits in yourself, which will allow you to create your best self. It will also help you to learn to empathize with other people and express gratitude. Eventually, you can begin to develop strong character by taking on leadership roles and overcoming the challenges that come your way.

Steps

Working on the best qualities of your personality

Become more honest. Honesty is a key component of a person's character. Show others that you are an honest person and do not let your words differ from your deeds. For example, if you tell your partner that you will help him more with his work, show that you mean it. You can start to regularly take an interest in how things are going big project, which he is engaged in, or offer to take on the responsibility of organizing lunches for him at the workplace during especially busy periods of work.

You can also become more honest through more sincere behavior. Don't feel like you have to always behave a certain way. in a specific way. Your reactions should be natural.
For example, you might say to your partner, “I'm sorry that I wasn't more supportive of you in the past. I think it's because I miss you when you're at work.”

Do some self-analysis. Self-analysis allows you to know yourself on a deeper level. Once you achieve self-awareness, you will understand your thoughts and your own reactions. A better understanding of who you really are can help you develop your own character. Set aside some time each day for self-reflection. At the same time, you can ask yourself questions the following type: “Why did I react this way to what Sveta said? How can I correct my own reaction next time if a conflict arises?”
- Meditation is also great for increasing self-awareness. You can learn to meditate using special downloadable applications for your phone, attending appropriate classes, or reading books on meditation. You can even just try sitting quietly and see where your thoughts wander!
Strengthen your self-control. You can develop self-control by making small changes in your daily life. For example, you can work on controlling impulses to snack. When you feel the urge to munch late at night, stop and ask yourself if you're really hungry. Then, instead of snacking, drink a large glass of water. You have the opportunity to consciously approach the issue of controlling your impulses.
- It's a good idea to get into the habit of making your bed every day. This will help you develop discipline that will be useful in other life situations.
Try to live by honor. Living with honor means being honest with your inner self. If your actions do not correspond to your beliefs, then you will always have an unresolved conflict simmering inside you. Remember and respect your personal values and principles in your daily life. Make decisions based on these principles and be unyielding under pressure from others.
- Do things that align with your values.
- Think about how your decisions align with your beliefs.
- Change habits that go against your beliefs.
- Be honest.
Take responsibility for your own mistakes and correct them. Everyone makes mistakes, but how you react to such situations shows your character. Be honest if you have done something wrong and try to take steps to correct the situation. Depending on the specific circumstances, you may need to apologize. In another case, you will need to change your own behavior or correct what you have done.
- Talk to the person who was harmed by your actions to make a concrete decision.
- Weigh possible ways correct the situation.
- If you make a mistake or hurt someone, admit the mistake and correct it. For example, you could say, "Sorry I stole your idea. I'm going to tell everyone that you came from it."
Learn to take risks deliberately. There are many reasons why a person might take risks, including to gain confidence and find new ways to succeed. A risk can only be considered considered when you have weighed all possible positive and negative consequences of your action. You shouldn't do anything rash.
- For example, you dream of creating your own photo studio. It would probably be unwise to suddenly quit your job and make yourself dependent on your newly created enterprise. A more deliberate strategy would be to start small gradually. Try working as a photographer on weekends. As your endeavor develops, you will be able to think more seriously about devoting all your time to what you love.
Be patient. All people tend to lose patience sometimes. You may have even had to bite your tongue sometimes when a colleague couldn't grasp something right away. Developing patience will require some effort on your part. Start by trying to assess the situation through the other person's eyes. Try thinking like this: “Oh, maybe Masha doesn’t understand what I’m explaining to her because she doesn’t have a technical background like I do. I need to use less jargon in my explanations.”
Ask someone you trust to give you a description. Sometimes it can be difficult to evaluate yourself objectively. If you're serious about becoming a better person, try asking someone to describe you. This person must be both honest and capable of constructive criticism.
- Yours might be a good candidate best friend. Contact him: “Sergey, I am seriously striving to become more strong personality. Could you help me and tell me some strengths and weaknesses of my character?”
- Accept the feedback you receive with gratitude and try to take action to make some of the recommended changes.
Ability to empathize and express gratitude
1. Learn to put yourself in others' shoes. If you learn to empathize, you will be able to understand other people better. You can strengthen your character by seeking mutual understanding with people and helping them. Try to imagine what the other person is going through. For example, your friend may have recently lost his brother. Think about how he might feel and how you would feel if you were in his shoes. Try to figure out how you can alleviate your friend’s condition.
  - You can even go further and try to experience exactly what the other person experienced. For example, your partner may be upset that she has to do all the cooking. Try taking on cooking responsibilities for the week to realize what it is that is stressing her out so much.
2. Challenge biases in yourself and others. Everyone has certain assumptions and even prejudices towards other people. They can be both conscious and unconscious. For example, you can count people who only completed school and did not receive vocational education, uneducated. Try to adjust your thinking to be more open path and begin to be more tolerant of other people.
  - Pay attention to your biases. If you catch yourself making conjectures, take note of this. Awareness of possible bias is the first step in combating it.
  - When you are once again overcome by such thoughts, take active action to change your way of thinking. Instead of thinking that “that person can’t be smart,” think, “Wow, despite his lack of professional training, he did a great job. This is impressive."
3. Practice gratitude. Gratitude is considered part of strong character because it demonstrates your awareness of the contributions of others and the circumstances around you. You can develop an attitude of gratitude by intentionally incorporating it into your daily life. For example, you could list three things you are grateful for every day at the end of the day.
  - You can also start a journal for yourself in which you write down all the things for which you are grateful. There you can make relevant notes throughout the day or just set aside 10 minutes for this in the evenings.
  - In your diary you can write: “Today I had the opportunity to become a volunteer at an animal shelter. I'm grateful that I was able to do something constructive on this Saturday morning.”
4. Don't forget to express gratitude to other people. A grateful attitude towards life has outer side. Remember to say “thank you” every time someone does something for you. In the same way, you can show your appreciation for those things that do not directly concern you.
  - For example, you can say to a colleague: “Thank you for bringing a new client. Business growth benefits us all.”
  - Gratitude can be more specific. Try saying, “I really appreciate you feeding me chicken soup when I was sick. You are so caring.”
Exercising leadership functions
1. Learn to speak loudly and clearly if you are shy. You can strengthen your character by taking on more responsibility. This will expand your own knowledge base and horizons. Start by assessing how you communicate with other people. If you are usually afraid to speak up, make an effort and learn to speak clearly so that your voice is heard.
  - Perhaps you are also involved in a choir and have good taste in music. If you feel strongly that certain music should be used at an upcoming event, say so and make your explanation clear.
  - At work, participate in more meetings. People will be more receptive if you communicate your ideas to them clearly and confidently.
2. Let others speak first if you are usually talkative. You can demonstrate your leadership skills by demonstrating restraint. If you're usually very talkative, try letting other people be heard as well. You will then have a chance to think and give a thoughtful answer.
  - For example, let's say you set a goal to learn Spanish. Reveal the best ways achieve this goal and start working in this direction.
  - You can enroll in Spanish courses at a local college or take a special course online. You can also use special software products for language learning.
  - Keep a record of exactly what you do. Don't forget to celebrate your successes.
  - Working towards clearly defined goals will help you develop the discipline that is integral part strong character.
3. Ask for help when you need it. Some people consider asking for help a sign of weakness. In fact, this is a demonstration of strength of character, since by doing this you show that you are able to identify and evaluate your needs. At the same time, your requests should always be specific and understandable.
  - Instead of telling your partner at length that you need help with housework, try saying something like this: “It would be nice if you could do the laundry and walk the dog from time to time.”
4. Highlight other people's strengths. Moral support - great way lift everyone's spirits, including yourself. Good leaders know that support influences people better than aggressive criticism. Be sure to communicate with your team of people and make sure they understand that you value each of their contributions.
  - Highlight people's strengths so they can grow from them. For example, you could say, "You have a real talent for making presentations! Would you like to speak on behalf of all of us?"
  - Focus on the success of the team as a whole, not on your personal success. Talk to management about your team using the pronoun “we” rather than “I.”

Strong character can influence people and environment even more than the highest gifts and abilities.

To be a leader in life, you must not command, but create. You must set an example for others. And the first and main decision for you will be to become a person with a strong character.

Whether you like it or not, people will judge you by your character. Character reveals who we really are. Character is your values, your thoughts, your words and your actions.

Strong character develops over time. Many people mistakenly think that "most" of character is formed in early age, and then there is little that can be done or changed. But we don't know exactly how much or how early character develops. And it is safe to say that character does not change quickly.

An indicator of a person's character is his. This behavior can be strong or weak, good or bad. We recognize a person's strong character when we see drive, energy, determination, self-discipline, and strong nerves. A strong character knows what he wants and goes for it. Strong character attracts followers.

On the other hand, a person with a weak character does not show any of these traits. He doesn't know what he wants. A person with a weak character is contradictory, disorganized, and constantly wavers. Such a person does not attract, but, on the contrary, repels followers.

A strong person can be good or bad. For example, a gang leader is an example strong man With bad character. An outstanding leader has both strong and good characteristics. The world is sorely lacking people and leaders who have strong character, who will guide us into the future and show that they can be trusted.

Qualities of a Strong Character

Strong character is the sum of all the positive qualities that make you, such as:

discipline
honesty
responsibility
courage
patience
hard work
self confidence
justice
compassion
leadership
respect
devotion
attention
generosity
humility
and reliability.

Benefits of a Strong Character

If you have a strong character, it means that you are aware of yourself and the people around you. You are not selfish and are completely selfless.
Having a strong character means that you can control your thoughts as well as your actions.
A person of strong character always strives to do the right thing. In addition, it is difficult to offend such a person. Strong character, like Teflon (a substance that is not destroyed by acids and alkalis).

4 Ways to Develop a Strong Character

Here are some ways to develop strong character and strengthen your inner “constitution”:

Keep your word. Be a man of your word. If you broke a promise, don't hide it. Apologize immediately and compensate for all damages.
Say no. On the contrary, don't let empty promises. In other words, don't bite off more than you can chew. Learn to say no on time. Tell the other person that you are not interested or cannot do it.
Stop complaining. Just solve problems.
Be resilient. Don't let one bad day influence another. Leave yesterday behind.

Are you a person with a strong character? Or is a strong character still a dream for you?