| Positive psychologists recently have been investigating strengths-based programming within the higher educational system. Results of these programs have been encouraging, with students reporting increased awareness of talents/strengths, confidence, motivation, and interpersonal understanding (Anderson, 2004; Williamson, 2002). While the evidence supporting the importance of strength identification is accumulating, descriptive information about student's utilization of personal strengths is lacking. It is from point A, the identification of strength, to point B, the enthusiastic application of strengths that this study aims to investigate. This process is termed capitalizing on personal strengths and was studied via a grounded theory qualitative approach. Student participants were recruited from the Midwest/South United States through university staff utilizing strength-based programming, using The Clifton StrengthsFinder as the assessment method. Strengths programming directors nominated students who utilize their personal strengths based on a set of explicit criteria. The students were interviewed via phone. Interview topics for the study included: background/demographics, strengths development programming description, signature strengths, application of strengths, capitalizing and perceived benefits of capitalizing. Interviews were transcribed and coded by two coders according to Auerbach and Silverstein's (2003) grounded theory guidelines of coding. Theoretical constructs which mediated capitalizing based on student data included (1) A background of social support; (2) Experiencing successes in life; and (3) An acceptance of personal strengths due to feeling reinforced by their strengths. |
