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Strengthquest- A book review by Sutton



STRENGTHQUEST: DISCOVER AND DEVELOP  



YOUR STRENGTHS IN ACADEMICS, CAREER,

AND BEYOND

By

   Donald O. Clifton &
   Edward Anderson

Reviewed by
   Geoffrey W. Sutton





I read and reviewed (Sutton, 2007b) the 2004 edition of this book published by Gallup. There is a new version (Second Edition), which includes a third author, Laurie Schreiner. The authors present their strength-based philosophy, which fits nicely with the concurrent trend in positive psychology (Sutton, 2007a). Others have shown how the strengths approach is compatible with Christianity (e.g., see Sutton, 2007c).
"A strength is the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance in a given activity (p. 8)."
The authors explain how talent, qua raw material, can be combined with knowledge and
skill to produce a unique pattern of strengths.

The book and the test have been revised. Overall, I think this approach to identifying personal strengths is a useful starting point in academic and vocational counseling. I also think it is a good reminder for those of us who worked in education and psychotherapy to ensure an adequate focus on the strengths of students and patients. I do not think we can ignore diagnoses, but I do think it is too easy to forget a person's strengths.

In addition to the review, I worked with colleagues on a strengths study, which was published in 2011 (see below).

References


Sutton, G. W. (2007a). [Review of the book Positive psychology: The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths by C. R. Snyder & S. Lopez]. Journal of Christianity and Psychology, 26, 273-274.   Academia Link    ResearchGate Link

 Sutton, G. W. (2007b). [Review of the book StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop your strengths in academics, career, and beyond by D. Clifton & E. Anderson]. Journal of Christianity and Psychology, 26, 82-83.   Academia Link    ResearchGate Link  

Sutton, G. W. (2007c). Strengths and Christian Service. [Review of the book Living your strengths: Discover your God-given talents, and inspire your congregation and community by A. Winseman, D. Clifton, & C. Liesveld]. Unpublished manuscript available at https://www.academia.edu/11728647/Strengths_and_Christian_Service

Sutton, G. W., Phillips, S., Lehnert, A. B., Bartle, B. W., & Yokomizo, P. (2011). Strengths, academic self-efficacy, admission test scores, and GPA in a Christian university sample. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 30, 28-36.  Academia Link    Research Gate Link


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Articles: Academia   Geoff W Sutton   ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

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