How do university students experience using photos to self-identify their character strengths? A Thematic analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated demand for mental and emotional well-being support. As a result of the pandemic and the prevailing economic climate, individuals and businesses in the UK have been ‘taking stock’. Positive Psychology Interventions provide the prospect of meeting these needs through strengths-based approaches which demonstrate a host of benefits. One of these is the use of photographs to transform the narratives that people ascribe to their experiences. This intervention may have a range of advantages, including a positive impact on well-being. However, there is relatively little research into the use of photos as a potential tool for self-identifying strengths. To gain an understanding of the lived experience of using photos to elicit strengths, a homogeneous participant sample of nine students studying psychology at a UK university were recruited. The participants undertook an intervention based on that used by Steger et al. (2014) in their pilot study. Each participant was asked to take 9-12 pictures of things that were meaningful to them over the period of one week. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the data. Four themes were identified: Experiencing the strength, Feeling uplifted, Being reflective, and Looking to the future. It was found that that the participants experienced the intervention as profound and enriching. The use of the photographs was instrumental in the self-identification of strengths. This study provides valuable insights into the experience of this PPI and may have implications for positive psychology practitioners and coaches.