Present

resent Auth oring:

orin g: Virtue
irtu es

Welcome to the Present Authoring: Virtues component of the Self-Authoring suite. This exercise

has been designed to allow you to do an in-depth analysis of some of the positive aspects or

virtues of your personality.

Completin g the
th e Exercise
Exercise 2

On many pages, you will not be able to successfu

successfully
lly click Next or Previous unless you have

provided a minimum of necessary text. If you do not, you will receive an error message, and the

text box in question will be highlighted in red.

Text boxes also have a maximum length. Pay attention, as you write, to the numbers above the

text boxes. Numbers like [180 / 1000] indicate that you have typed 180 characters out of a

maximum allowable of 1000. When you go over the maximum, the numbers above the text box

become red. Clicking Next, Previous, or Save will result in an error message and you will not be

able to proceed to the Next or Previous page. To resolve this, edit your text until the number of

characters is less than or equal to the maximum. These limitations have been established so that

you do not get stalled at any point in the process.

We do encourage you to write in some detail, however, subject to those limitations. Our research

indicates that better results are obtained as the amount written by participants increases.

There is a progress bar in the t op right portion of the screen, which displays the percentage of the

exercise that you have already completed. If you hover over the bar with the mouse, you can see

approximately how much time it will still take to complete the exercise.

You may use the Index to jump to any page you have already completed. Clicking the [Index] link

will open the index. Clicking it again will close it. Remember to click Save to save any work on the

current page before using the index to jump to another page.

After you have completed the exercise, you will be taken to a Summary page. You can use that

page to email yourself a copy of your writing.

Backgrou
Backgrou nd Know ledge

To complete the following exercise, there are a number of things that are useful to know (you may

have encountered this information previously if you have completed the faults analysis exercise,
Everybody's personality is composed of two higher-order traits. The first higher-order trait is

known as plasticity, and can be thought of as the tendency to be flexible, exploratory, curious and

quick to adapt. The second higher-order trait is known as stability, and can be thought of as the

tendency to be structured, organized, emotionally stable and focused.

[Index]

Plasticity

Plasticity, the first higher-order trait, can be further broken down into two sub-traits: Extraversion

(the tendency to be enthusiastic and dominant) and Openness (the tendency to be open -minded

and intelligent).

Extraversion (Outgoi ng vs Reserved)

• Sociable

• Active

• Adventurousness

• Positive

• Excitement-Seeking

• Gregarious

Openness (Original vs Traditional)

• Fantasy-prone

• Aesthetically-minded

• Philosophical

• Creative

• Intuitive

• Intellectual

[Index]

Stability

Stability, the second higher-order trait, can be further broken down into three sub-traits:

Conscientiousness (the tendency to be orderly and industrious), Emotional Stability (lack of

negative emotional volatility and the tendency to withdraw), and Agreeableness (politeness and

compassion, as opposed to belligerence or aggression).

 • Competent

• Orderly

• Decisive

• Achievement-oriented

• Self-disciplined

• Deliberate

• Industrious

Emotional Stability (Calm vs Nervous)

• Anxious (reversed)

• Angry (reversed

• Hostile (reversed)

• Depressed (reversed)

• Self-Conscious (reversed)

• Vulnerable (reversed)

 Agreeableness (Agreeable vs As serti ve/Aggr ess ive)

• Warm

• Trusting

• Straightforward

• Altruistic

• Modest

• Compliant

• Tender-minded

• Nice

[Index]

Impact of Personality Traits

There are advantages and disadvantages to each trait, particularly at the extremes. Extremely

sociable, extraverted people can be dominant and impulsive, while introverted, quiet people can

easily become isolated and depressed. Extremely open people can be scattered and overwhelmed

by their own thoughts and ideas, while closed-minded people may become narrow and inflexible.

Exceptionally conscientious people can be obsessive about order, judgmental and rigid, while their
emotional stability may engage in risky, dangerous behavior, while those who are more neurotic

can become so preoccupied by anxiety and pain that they are unable to function. Finally, extremely

agreeable people may never stand up for themselves, while those who are too assertive can be

aggressive, callous and bullying.

[Index]

Change

Personality is reasonably stable over the lifespan, and is also powerfully influenced by hereditary or

genetic factors. Despite this, personality can broaden or even transform. As people age, for

example, they tend to become more agreeable, conscientious and emotionally stable.

Changing personality means changing habits of action, presumption and perception. Personality

change requires the formulation of clear future goals, as well as discipline and practice. People who

are too agreeable can learn to stand up for themselves. Disorderly people can become more

conscientious. Introverted people can become socially skilled. People who experience paralyzing

levels of negative emotion can learn to explore.

Extraversion/Introversion
Select Relevant Items

Please select the positive traits or virtues that apply to you. You can select up to 10 traits, and are

required to select at least 2. Be over-inclusive. Don’t worry if some of the positive descriptions are

less descriptive of you, as you will get to specify the most relevant positive attributes later, when

you make your final selections, prior to writing.

Can be the life of the party

Feel comfortable around people

Easily start conversations

Talk to a lot of different people at social occasions

Don't mind being the center of attention

Make friends easily

Can take charge and lead

Know how to captivate people

Feel at ease with people

Am skilled in handling social situations

Am often happy
  Make other people laugh and have fun

Am enthusiastic about new opportunities

Am fun to be around

Like to invite people out or at home to socialize

Can listen well

Do not dominate conversations

Am rarely or never too loud

Do not spend my money on a whim

Do not party or socialize excessively

Do not attract undue attention to myself

Do not always talk about myself

Am not grandiose or arrogant

Am comfortable alone

Enjoy time in natural surroundings

Do not always need to seek excitement or novelty

Am rarely impulsive

Do not always have to be the center of att ention

Let other people have the spotlight

Think before I act

Openness/Traditionalism
Select Relevant Items

Please select the positive traits or virtues that apply to you. You can select up to 10 traits, and are

required to select at least 2. Be over-inclusive. Don’t worry if some of the positive descriptions are

less descriptive of you, as you will get to specify the most relevant positive attributes later, when

you make your final selections, prior to writing.

Am full of ideas

Am quick to understand things

Can handle a lot of information

Carry the conversation to a higher level

Catch on to things quickly

 • An Experience Due to the Positive Trait

• A Possible Alternative Outcome

• Guidelines for General Improvement

etc