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VIA Signature Strengths Scoring Sheet
Strengths The strengths of a client can be identified in many ways. Aside from (online) questionnaires
and strengths spotting conversations with a practitioner, peers can be perceived as a
Assessment
valuable source of information. Using more diverse sources to identify strengths yields
n/a a more complete picture of an individual’s strong points. Gathering the data from these
multiple sources is only one part of the process. Presenting them in a structured way
Practitioner
is another part that can be quite challenging. This inventory was designed to solve this
No
obstacle. Note that it was designed specifically for use with the 24 VIA strengths.
Goal
The goal of this inventory is to create a structured overview of the different sources of
information (e.g., the practitioner, peers, or online assessment) that can be used to identify
the strengths of a client. In other words, the overview can be used to identify the core
strengths of a client: strengths that are recognized by multiple sources (use the “total”
column to sum the number of times a strength has been recognized by the different
sources).
Advice
■ Although this inventory is primarily designed as a tool for the practitioner, clients
can benefit from receiving a copy after completion. The inventory can provide insight
into the usage of strengths in different contexts. For instance, sometimes, a colleague
identifies different strengths than a spouse. This may indicate that the client is using
different strengths in the workplace than at home. The inventory can be a particularly
useful starting point for a conversation on strengths development. Questions that can
be asked include, for instance, “What do you notice when you look at the overview?”
“Do you recognize yourself in the most frequently identified strengths?” “Are there
strengths that you may use too much or too little?” etc.
References
■ Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook
and classification. Oxford University Press and the American Psychological
Association.
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[Link] | Positive Psychology Toolkit
VIA Signature Strengths Scoring Sheet
Instructions
A sample inventory is displayed below. The names below the inventory represent the names of the three
persons that the client selected to report on his/her strengths. As you can see, although not all sources
have identified the same strengths, considerable overlap can be noted in 5 of them: creativity (mentioned
4 times), love of learning (3 times), integrity (4 times), love (4 times), and fairness (4 times). These strengths
are likely to be the “signature strengths” of this client. In addition, the inventory also provides insight into
possible blind spots: strengths that are mentioned by others but not by the client. In this example, integrity is
an example of a potential blind spot. The inventory may also shed light on possible opportunities for growth:
strengths that are mentioned by the client but not (or not often) recognized by other sources. Perspective is
a potential area for growth for the client in the example below. Perspective is only mentioned by the client,
but no other source believes this strength to be present (at least not in the top 5).
Strengths Self Coach VIA Other Other Other Total
1 2 3
1 Creativity X X X X 4
wisdom & knowledge
2 Curiosity
3 Open-mindedness
4 Love of learning X X X 3
5 Perspective X 1
6 Bravery X 1
courage
7 Persistence X 1
8 Integrity X X X X 4
9 Vitality X 1
10 Love X X X X 4
humanity
11 Kindness X 1
12 Social intelligence
13 Citizenship
justice
14 Fairness X X X X 4
15 Leadership
16 Forgiveness and mercy
temperance
17 Humility / Modesty X 1
18 Prudence X X 2
19 Self-regulation
20 Appreciation of beauty
transcendence
21 Gratitude X 1
22 Hope X X 2
23 Humor
24 Spirituality
Names
Other 1: John Wright (colleague) Other 2: Mother Other 3: Will Connel (friend)
[2]
[Link] | Positive Psychology Toolkit
Name of client:
Strengths Self Coach VIA Other Other Other Total
1 2 3
1 Creativity
wisdom & knowledge
2 Curiosity
3 Open-mindedness
4 Love of learning
5 Perspective
6 Bravery
7 Persistence
courage
8 Integrity
9 Vitality
10 Love
humanity
11 Kindness
12 Social intelligence
13 Citizenship
justice
14 Fairness
15 Leadership
16 Forgiveness and mercy
temperance
17 Humility / Modesty
18 Prudence
19 Self-regulation
20 Appreciation of beauty
transcendence
21 Gratitude
22 Hope
23 Humor
24 Spirituality
The Strengths listed here belong to the VIA Classification ©Copyright 2004-2015, VIA Institute. Used with permission.
All rights reserved.
Names
Other 1: Other 2: Other 3:
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