Too Much of a Good Thing?
It is worth noting, when considering our strengths, that too much of a good thing can be problematic. We might think that the more developed a strength is that it must be a good thing, however, as with many things, it is important to utilise our strengths moderately.
For example, lets consider kindness, although typically being kind is a strength, it does have a limit. Too much kindness may lead to issues with being able to say no to people, others having high expectations of us or being treated as a ‘doormat’. Not enough kindness may lead to people thinking we’re mean, that we don’t care or that we dislike them. An optimal amount of kindness then should lead to people seeing us as friendly, generous, helpful and considerate whilst we feel able to maintain our boundaries.
Imagine a chart with an upside down ‘U’ shape marked on it. This is often used when comparing a person’s level of arousal to their performance whilst doing a stress inducing task e.g. an exam. This same curve helps to illustrate the notion that ‘there is no such thing as unmitigated good’ (Grant and Schwartz, 2011) when it comes to our character strengths.
Consider more:
1) Thinking about how much or too little of a strength maybe a problem. Consider two more strengths. First think about perseverance. What would it be like to use it too much or too little?rnrn2) Second, how does it feel to use one of your own strengths too little or too much? Can you think of three things that would be a moderate use of these strengths?
You might want to make notes at this point. These may help you remember things, work out what you want or see how much you’ve changed if you read them in a few years’ time.