What do positive psychologists feel about the barriers to healthy self-development and the
strengths needed to overcome these barriers?
Positive psychologists believe that we all have strengths that can overcome barriers to
healthy self-development. These barriers include low self-esteem, for example, along with
its related fears. The strengths that protect against poor outcomes in mental health include
optimism, good interpersonal skills, courage, good work ethic, perseverance, honesty, and
ability to think toward the future. These strengths can be learned through training. And
when people begin using them, such ideals become a type of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Building these strengths can improve poor performance and raise self-esteem, but also
prevents such problems from happening in the future.