Name
Capella University
PSYC FPX 4110: Positive Psychology
Prof. Name
February, 2025
Activity Summary
PSYC FPX 4110 Assessment 2 During this activity, I considered the merits of wisdom, courage, and humanity about positive psychology and how these attributes can shape both personal and professional development (Appiah, 2023). Wisdom is intellectual strength characterized by critical thinking, creativity, and sound judgment that help an individual make his or her decisions when faced with complex situations. Courage is, therefore, emotional strength, tenacity, and integrity. What enables one to overcome adversity and act appropriately in trying times? Humanity is something that consists of being kind and loving and displays social intelligence, which promotes relationships and improves overall well-being. For a registered nurse, these virtues are embedded in practice daily because they affect patient care, teamwork, and ethical decisions. In assessing how well I exercise my strengths within these domains, I employed the use of a questionnaire that caused reflection regarding applying wisdom, courage, and humanity in the clinic.
The questions emphasized my ability to think critically while caring for the patient, showing resilience and integrity in difficult times, and forming compassionate relationships with patients and peers. This self-assessment would be valuable to understand my strengths and weaknesses professionally and what is important about these virtues for nursing. I also investigated how they correlate with Martin Seligman’s PERMA model in better highlighting positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment as dimensions of well-being. Conscious cultivation of wisdom, courage, and humanity will increase my personal development and my effectiveness as a healthcare provider while contributing toward a compassionate, resilient, and healthy healthcare environment.
Furthermore, this exercise deepened my perception on the roles that wisdom, courage, and humanity play in my professional development and well-being as a registered nurse (Turid et al., 2024). Through self-reflection as well as the questionnaire, I realized how these virtues increase patient outcomes, team cooperation, and my ability to practice stress management in pressure situations. For instance, applying wisdom in clinical settings helps me critically assess treatment plans, adapt to unmet patient needs, and make well-informed, evidence-based decisions that guarantee patient safety. Courage enables me to speak out when advocating for patient rights, address ethical dilemmas confidently, and persist even in physically and emotionally demanding situations. Meanwhile, humanity strengthens relationships with patients and colleagues, creating a healthy care environment where empathy and trust enhance recovery and satisfaction at work. This reflection ensured that the virtues will be continuously nurtured not only to my betterment but also to improve the quality of care that I provide to my patients. By incorporating wisdom, courage, and humanity into my daily practice, a positive influence both individually and within the community can be created and the principles that shape positive psychology can be applied in my personal and professional life.
Relationship to Positive Psychology
Positive psychology focuses on upgrading well-being, supporting personal strengths, and promoting virtuous living through virtues like wisdom, courage, and humanity (McGrath, 2024). Virtues come closely in line with the goal of positive psychology as they aid individuals in thriving by developing their inborn strengths. Meaning and accomplishment ,which are two important component,s are contributed to by virtue of wisdom including all critical thinking and problem-solving skills with creativity. For instance, nurses apply wisdom in decision-making based on evidence, managing intricate medical cases, and providing excellent care for their patients. Courage, characterized by resilience, persistence, and integrity, plays a significant role in promoting engagement and personal development. In nursing, courage is essential in helping professionals advocate for their patients, manage ethical issues, and remain resolute during adverse situations. Humanity encompasses kindness, love, and social intelligence and has a direct correlation with positive relationships, which are essential for the well-being of individuals in the workplace and society. Nurses’ humanity is seen in their gentle patient care practices, where patients develop trust and emotional support to improve health results and overall job satisfaction.
By integrating wisdom, courage, and humanity into my nursing practice, I am currently applying principles of positive psychology that not only enhance my well-being but also that of my patients. The questionnaire used in this reflection provided insights into how these virtues shape my interactions and decision-making in clinical settings (Kurasz et al., 2021). For instance, reviewing my application of critical thinking in patient care defined the role of wisdom, while reflection on my ability to remain resilient under stressful conditions defined the role of courage. Further evaluation of my capacity to empathize and connect underscored the role of humanity in developing a stronger connection with patients. These findings are, therefore, reflective of positive psychology’s focus on using one’s strengths to enhance overall well-being and become more effective practitioners. By developing these qualities, I improve my own job satisfaction and resilience and also help create a more positive and supportive healthcare environment that benefits patients, colleagues, and the wider medical community.
Application to Personal or Professional Issues
The virtues of wisdom, courage, and humanity have significant applications in both my personal and professional life, particularly in my role as a registered nurse (Srof & Lagerwey, 2024). Wisdom helps me make sound clinical decisions by applying evidence-based practices and critical thinking skills to patient care. It would allow me to make decisions when high pressure calls, such as during emergencies or finding the best course of treatment, to be able to evaluate risks, analyze data, and deliver the best care. Moreover, wisdom guides me through interpersonal challenges, including how to talk to distressed patients or how to collaborate with a multidisciplinary healthcare team. In personal life, it guides me to reflect on past experiences, learn from mistakes, and make the choices that bring me closer to my values and long-term goals. Continuously developing my intellectual strengths would allow both professional competency and personal growth.
Courage and humanity play important roles in dealing with personal and professional issues (Pajakoski et al., 2021). Courage helps me advocate for my patients, speak up in the case of ethical issues, and continue to strive when faced with tough situations, like dealing with a loss among patients or workplace stress. In my life outside school, courage helps me to abide by change, overcome self-doubt, and take new growth opportunities. Humanity, kindness, empathy, and social intelligence form the core of building good relationships with patients, colleagues, and loved ones. As a nurse, I, therefore, regard humanity as the way to show care, create a more intimate relationship with the patient, and also be supportive in showing an environment that is conducive for healing and gaining trust. On a personal level, humanity helps me strengthen my relationships, gain more emotional strength, and feel fulfilled. By integrating these virtues into my daily interactions, I can effectively address challenges, enhance my well-being, and positively impact those around me.
Conclusion
The virtues of wisdom, courage, and humanity are not only important for personal growth but also for professional effectiveness, especially in the nursing field (Han et al., 2022). Through this activity, I gained valuable insights into how these virtues shape my decision-making, resilience, and relationships in both clinical and personal settings. The self-assessment questionnaire helped me reflect on the strengths aspects and areas for development, thus showing that continuous development in these areas is crucial. Wisdom helps me bring together the improvement of critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities at a high quality to ensure excellent care for patients. Courage aids in facing ethical challenges, being steadfast in difficult situations and standing up for my patients. These human virtues, if combined with those of positive psychology, especially through Seligman’s PERMA model, showcase the impact it has on well-being, happiness, and a sense of fullness. So, by building my wisdom, courage, and humanity, I can improve my well-being within myself, aid in creating a more compassionate environment in healthcare settings, and create better patient results and workplace enjoyment.
References
Appiah, R. (2023). Proverbial positive psychology: can we leverage African ancient wisdom to promote flourishing? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2282771
Han, P., Duan, X., Jiang, J., Zeng, L., Zhang, P., & Zhao, S. (2022). Experience in the development of nurses’ personal resilience: A meta‐synthesis. Nursing Open, 10(5), 2780–2792. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1556
Kurasz, A. M., Smith, G. E., Curiel, R. E., Barker, W. W., Behar, R. C., Ramirez, A., & Armstrong, M. J. (2021). Patient values in healthcare decision making among diverse older adults. Patient Education and Counseling, 105(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.08.031
McGrath, R. E. (2024). Character virtues in positive psychology. Routledge EBooks, 295–309. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003251248-17
Pajakoski, E., Rannikko, S., Leino‐Kilpi, H., & Numminen, O. (2021). Moral courage in nursing – An integrative literature review. Nursing & Health Sciences, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805
Srof, B. J., & Lagerwey, M. (2024). Nurses’ experience of peacebuilding: International perspectives. Public Health Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/phn.13506
Turid, A., Ueland, V., & Koskinen, C. (2024). Nursing students’ movement toward becoming a professional caring nurse. Nursing Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330241238343
