4th Step | Grad School | Summer 2021-22

Assets / Virtues / Strengths

Event / Relationship	Appreciations / Positive Feelings	Character Asset / Strength
Connection with Dr. Belgrade	Gratitude, respect, intellectual joy	Intellectual curiosity, capacity for deep connection, ability to admire and learn from others
Completing excellent assignments despite difficulty	Pride in own diligence, perseverance	Determination, discipline, courage in facing challenge
Observing Blythe and class dynamics without harm	Compassion for peers, moral awareness	Empathy, fairness, awareness of social impact
Recognizing Cook’s manipulations	Insight into dynamics, self-awareness	Self-reflection, discernment, ability to identify unhealthy patterns
Maintaining integrity in own work & research	Satisfaction in excellence for its own sake	Integrity, conscientiousness, commitment to personal standards
Choosing to leave toxic class	Relief, clarity	Courage, self-protection, practical wisdom
Laughter and shared play with Belgrade	Joy, delight, mutual intellectual pleasure	Capacity for playfulness, gratitude, relational joy
Curiosity and love of learning	Engagement with Dante, philosophy, sociology	Intellectual passion, drive to explore, question, and understand deeply
Resilience after setbacks	Sense of survival, ongoing engagement with learning	Emotional resilience, perseverance, ability to recover and continue growth
Slot machine gambling paper / research	Pride in originality, excitement at insights	Analytical intelligence: see patterns in behavior, synthesize theory and data
Integration of philosophy & sociology	Joy in intellectual creativity	Conceptual intelligence: connecting theory, ethics, and human behavior
Surviving toxic class / peer dynamics	Self-awareness, insight	Emotional intelligence: recognizing feelings, boundaries, and social cues
Empathy and fairness in competition	Awareness of peers’ feelings and impact	Ethical sensitivity, compassion, self-restraint
Playful connection with Belgrade in discussion of music theory / Lady Gaga	Joy, delight, shared laughter	Creativity, playfulness, relational intelligence
Observation of power dynamics in class (Cook, Blythe)	Insight into manipulation and competition	Practical wisdom, discernment, strategic thinking
Maintaining focus on personal growth despite distractions	Satisfaction at completing work, pride in perseverance	Self-discipline, focus, commitment to values
Ability to learn from difficult experiences	Gratitude, reflection	Metacognition, reflective intelligence, capacity for moral and emotional growth

Defects / Fears / Resentments

Event / Relationship	Resentment / Hurt	Fear	Character Defect / Pattern
Attachment to Cook’s validation	Feeling manipulated and obsessed	Fear of being unseen, unchosen	Seeking external validation, attachment to praise, craving approval
Participation in class competitions	Frustration at self for engaging in hierarchy	Fear of missing opportunity to be noticed	Compulsiveness, people-pleasing, over-identification with performance
Comparisons with Blythe	Resentment at her success	Fear of losing status, recognition	Jealousy, competitiveness, self-comparison
Private interactions / confessions with Cook	Vulnerability exploited	Fear of rejection	Boundary confusion, overexposure, mixing intellect with sexual/emotional desire
Over-reliance on Belgrade	Feeling abandoned or blamed	Fear of losing mentor approval, abandonment	Dependence on authority figures, need for rescue, over-attachment to validation
Classroom dynamic with Blythe dominating	Resentment and shame over inability to assert space	Fear of social invisibility, inadequacy	Passivity, avoidance, internalized guilt
Dropping the class / avoidance	Resentment at having to remove self	Fear of failure, of being trapped	Retreating, avoidance under stress, difficulty asserting needs
Excessive perfectionism / self-imposed standards	Frustration when standards not met	Fear of failure, shame	Self-criticism, rigidity, over-identification with achievements
Obsessive desire / longing (Cook)	Fixation on Cook	Fear of unfulfilled desire	Lack of emotional moderation, difficulty separating desire from judgment and action
Over-disclosure / testing boundaries with Cook	Exposing wounds and past behaviors	Fear of being unloved or unseen	Boundary confusion, mixing emotional intimacy with desire, overexposure
Internalizing classroom conflict	Stress, shame	Fear of inadequacy	Over-responsibility for others, inability to separate self-worth from others’ behavior
Guilt about participating in competitions and affecting others	Guilt and frustration	Fear of unfairness, imbalance	Self-centeredness, over-identification with outcomes, moral conflict
Jealousy toward peers or mentors	Resentment of Blythe or shifts in Belgrade’s attention	Fear of being left out or overlooked	Envy, over-sensitivity to perceived slights
Chasing control of others’ perception	Frustration with classmates, instructors	Fear of being misunderstood or undervalued	Over-managing social environment, need for approval
Fixation on status / recognition	Pain at perceived loss of recognition	Fear of being irrelevant	Attachment to social comparison, craving validation
Over-identifying intellectual performance with self-worth	Anxiety, obsession over achievements	Fear of failure	Pride, over-reliance on external standards, perfectionism
Difficulty separating desire from judgment	Confusion and obsession	Fear of being unfulfilled	Emotional reactivity, impulsivity, obsessive longing

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