Christopher Peterson (February 18, 1950 – October 9, 2012) was the Arthur F. Thurnau professor of psychology and organizational studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the former chair of the clinical psychology area. He was science director of the VIA Institute on Character, and co-author of Character Strengths and Virtues for the classification of character strengths.Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press/Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. He was a member of the Positive Psychology Steering Committee and the International Positive Psychology Association board of directors, a senior fellow at the Positive Psychology Center and a lecturer for the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a co-editor of Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being and the Positive Psychology Book Series Editor for Oxford University Press.

He is noted for his work in the study of optimism, health, character, well-being and one of the founders of positive psychology. He has published over 300 academic publications. In 2003 the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) named him among the 100 most frequently cited psychologists in the past 20 years. In 2010, Dr. Peterson won the 2010 Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Teaching – the most prestigious teaching award at the University of Michigan.

Classification of psychological disorders

Disorders of Wisdom and Knowledge

Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Creativity Conformity Triteness Eccentricity Curiosity/Interest Disinterest Boredom Morbid curiosity/Nosiness Judgment/Critical thinking Unreflectiveness Gullibility Cynicism Love of learning Complacency Orthodoxy Know-it-all-ism Perspective Shallowness Foolishness None

Disorders of Courage Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Bravery Fright/Chicken Little-ism Cowardice Foolhardiness Persistence Laziness Helplessness Obsessiveness Authenticity/Honesty Phoniness Deceipt Righteousness Vitality Restraint Lifelessness Hyperactivity

Disorders of Love Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Intimacy Isolation/Autism Loneliness/Avoidance of commitment Emotional promiscuity Kindness Indifference Cruelty/Mean-spiritedness Intrusiveness Social Intelligence Obtuseness/Cluelessness Self-deception Psychobabble

Disorders of Justice Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Citizenship Selfishness Narcissism Chauvinism Fairness Partisanship Prejudice Detachment Leadership Compliance Disruptiveness/Sabotage Despotism

Disorders of Temperance Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Forgiveness/Mercy Mercilessness Vengefulness Permissiveness Humility/Modesty Footless Self-esteem Arrogance Self-deprecation Prudence Sensation seeking Recklessness Prudishness/Stuffiness Self-regulation Self-indulgence Impulsivity Inhibition

Disorders of Transcendence Strength Absence Opposite Exaggeration Appreciation of beauty/Excellence Oblivion Schadenfreude-ism Snobbery Gratitude Rugged individualism Entitlement Ingratiation Hope Present orientation Pessimism/Despair Pollyannaism Humor Humorlessness Dourness Buffoonery Spirituality Anomie Alienation Fanaticism

Bibliography includes

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, by Christopher Peterson & Martin E.P. Seligman Peterson, C., & Seligman, M.E.P. (2002). The VIA classification of strengths. Cincinnati: Values in Action Institute A Primer in Positive Psychology, by Christopher Peterson (Textbook). 2006 Peterson, C., Maier, S.F., & Seligman, M.E.P. (1993). Learned helplessness: A theory for the age of personal control. New York: Oxford. Peterson, C., & Bossio, L.M. (1991). Health and optimism. New York: Free Press. Peterson, Christopher; Seif, Aliakbar; Jahangiri, Hamideh (2020). Psychology The Past To Present (2 Volumes), volume 1 volume 2 Scholars’ Press.

References