The Clifton Youth Strengths Finder is an online poll that finds a student's five
main strengths ("Signature Themes") by having him or her answer a series of timed
questions. Then the student receives an email that has a link to a personalized
report.
My daughter took the poll since she is 14 and was very curious about what her
strengths would be. Some of the questions seemed a little advanced for someone
of this age. There were questions about job and work preferences, which she would
know nothing about because she's so young. Some of the questions asked things
that would take more than the time allotted for each one (15 seconds, I believe).
They were very thought-provoking questions, and therefore there was not enough
time for a complete answer. One of the questions was, "If your friend jumped
off a bridge, would you jump off too?" My daughter's response was something like, "YES
if it wasn't too high over water. But NO if there were railroad tracks or ground
below it."
I think the report was pretty accurate with her strengths. Her top 5 themes were:
Learner, Connectedness, Input, Intellection, and Relator. A small explanation
about each one is below:
Learner--You love to learn. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey
from ignorance to competence.
Connectedness--Things happen for a reason, and you are sure of it. You feel deep
in your soul that all things are connected.
Input--You are inquisitive, and you love to collect things. You might collect
information, words, facts, books, or quotations.
Intellection--You like to think and the mental activity that goes with it. You
are exercising the muscles of your brain.
Relator--This describes your attitude toward relationships, and in simple terms
you are pulled to people you already know. You do not shy away from meeting new
people. In fact, you may get a thrill out of turning strangers into friends.
Overall, all of these themes do describe my daughter in some way or another,
but she thought the Relator strength was somewhat weird. We ended up having a
huge discussion about all the strengths listed, and it was interesting to see
her relate them back to her life. This report lists only the first five "signature
themes," but you could choose to pay for a more extensive report (anywhere from
6 to 54 themes). The cost varies depending on whether you want one specific type
of theme ($550), such as the Strengths Discovery Session, or whether you want
a report of all the themes they offer and three follow-up consultations from
the website, which would cost $1,750! I think the cost is outrageous for an individual,
but a company might find it helpful for placing employees in positions.
Product review by Nancy King, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2008
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