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34th out of 34 books
—
6 voters
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being
“This book will help you flourish.” With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in ten years—and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, whi...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Free Press
(first published March 17th 2011)
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This book was not what I expected but a good read nonetheless. I had expected a book focused on "Flourishing". The title of the book is, "Flourish", after all but what I got was a gallop through all of Mr Seligman's life-work. This is a very interesting over-view of what he has achieved to date and what he hopes to achieve in the future. I greatly admire this man and what he is doing and I know I will return to the book to remind myself of his insights and direction.
I found the work he is doing...more
I found the work he is doing...more
Recommended by the CEO of the Rescue Mission. Slow going due to research, but interesting discussion of applied positive psychology. The author updates and expands his research of the measures of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, meaning, accomplishments and positive relationships. Spending 10 minutes nightly on a "blessings journal" listing three things that went well during the day and why they went well/or how you feel about them would be a good habit for young and old. Lengthy list...more
After I'd finished this book I had to wonder who the anticipated audience was? This is not a how-to, with detailed techniques for creating positive psychology in your own life. Mention of specific techniques is pretty much in passing. It's like a biography, but not so much of Seligman, the titan of the field, but of the discipline of positive psychology, with a great deal of "how I done good" in the mix. Seligman narrates how, under his tutelage and that of his disciples, positive psychology has...more
**Oozing with positivity**
So, this book might just be a hard sell for positive psychology. And, what better person to sell this field than the founder of positive psychology himself, Martin Seligman, who promises that “this book will increase your well-being—and it will help you flourish.” (p. 2)
I don’t want this review to feel like a testimony from an infomercial, but I seriously felt the positivity ooze into my life while reading this book. And, I’m still feeling it long after I’ve finished th...more
So, this book might just be a hard sell for positive psychology. And, what better person to sell this field than the founder of positive psychology himself, Martin Seligman, who promises that “this book will increase your well-being—and it will help you flourish.” (p. 2)
I don’t want this review to feel like a testimony from an infomercial, but I seriously felt the positivity ooze into my life while reading this book. And, I’m still feeling it long after I’ve finished th...more
This book continues to provide us with the best framework for learning how to increase what we call happiness and Seligman calls 'flourishing'.
It is easy to become overwhelmed or jaded by the range of prescriptions on offer. There are many different models and gazillions of lists of 'Top Ways' to happiness and wellbeing that we could choose from.
Because we won't believe in any panacea, and because we want to bring a centre to our Happiness At Work training and development that is both substantia...more
It is easy to become overwhelmed or jaded by the range of prescriptions on offer. There are many different models and gazillions of lists of 'Top Ways' to happiness and wellbeing that we could choose from.
Because we won't believe in any panacea, and because we want to bring a centre to our Happiness At Work training and development that is both substantia...more
I gave this five stars because of the powerful premise that's presented in the first two chapters: the notion that well-being is larger than "happiness" and relies on the co-existence of PERMA -- positive emotions, engagement, relationships with others, meaning, and achievement. This is eye-opening, crucially important stuff that can really improve the world as well as your own life. The case studies provided are compelling proof that this approach to improving human well-being works.
Unfortunate...more
Unfortunate...more
I'm not sure how to review this book, because it was quite different from what I was expecting after reading his earlier book, Authentic Happiness.
I knew from the introduction that Seligman thinks the earlier book was correct enough about happiness, but didn't cover all the aspects of well-being that positive psychology should be studying. So I thought this book would treat those new aspects (achievement and positive relationships) in the same depth as he'd covered the earlier ones (positive em...more
I knew from the introduction that Seligman thinks the earlier book was correct enough about happiness, but didn't cover all the aspects of well-being that positive psychology should be studying. So I thought this book would treat those new aspects (achievement and positive relationships) in the same depth as he'd covered the earlier ones (positive em...more
Sometimes I read some of the reviews of a book that have been written by other goodreads members. Usually I do this when I am curious to see if it's me or if others share my reaction to the book.
The consensus seems to be that the research Dr. Seligman is doing in the field of positive psychology is great but this book covers the science of it all in too much detail. I agree and in fact I skipped over the 50 pages about his work with the Army.
However I was intrigued by the next to last chapter: T...more
The consensus seems to be that the research Dr. Seligman is doing in the field of positive psychology is great but this book covers the science of it all in too much detail. I agree and in fact I skipped over the 50 pages about his work with the Army.
However I was intrigued by the next to last chapter: T...more
I came to this book after hearing Seligman's interview on the HBR Ideacast where he talked specifically about his work on behalf of the US Army and developing Post-Traumatic Growth.
This is an enjoyable and stimulating read, with some provocative ideas and surprising data. I did not expect but thoroughly enjoyed the many personal stories, not so much of patient progress, but behind the scenes glimpses of the politics of science, psychology, and higher ed. The author is not shy about expressing hi...more
This is an enjoyable and stimulating read, with some provocative ideas and surprising data. I did not expect but thoroughly enjoyed the many personal stories, not so much of patient progress, but behind the scenes glimpses of the politics of science, psychology, and higher ed. The author is not shy about expressing hi...more
I read through this in an afternoon based on a recommendation by my dissertation advisor. It was fine. Martin Seligman is clearly rehashing a lot of material from his life work, 'Learned Optimism.' (A book I love). I hate it when academics do this. Train a new dog already! 'Flourish' provided minimal new information, mostly just buttered up research-based reasons for "positive psychology" and "optimism." Both have there place in promoting growth and resilience but frankly, I'll stick with scient...more
This was a fantastic book. Seligman does a great job of making the argument that teaching kids well-being (resilience, optimism), is more powerful than any other intervention. This was interesting to me for several reasons. First, as a person working in a K-6 school with some poverty. Second, as a parent. Third, as someone with a background and interest in psychology. The book includes a case study of a boarding school in Australia. It also includes exercises that you can do with kids to get the...more
From the bestselling author of Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness comes "a relentlessly optimistic guidebook on finding and securing individual happiness" ( Kirkus Reviews ).
Internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman has been on the cutting edge of happiness research for more than two decades, pioneering a science that improves people's lives. In his most life-changing book yet--which has electrified his already massive readership -- Seligman explains his theory of happiness an...more
Internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman has been on the cutting edge of happiness research for more than two decades, pioneering a science that improves people's lives. In his most life-changing book yet--which has electrified his already massive readership -- Seligman explains his theory of happiness an...more
I'm about 1/2 way through this book. So far I'm not all that impressed. I guess I was expecting more. It's written in a very chatty style with lots of little digressions that make it seem unfocused. There's also some annoying self-congratulatory stuff like how he mentions he was elected president of the APA with the highest margin of victory ever. I was hoping for lot more nuts & bolts, this is what you can do to flourish type content.
Edit: Now finished (well, I have to admit that I quickly...more
Edit: Now finished (well, I have to admit that I quickly...more
2 likes · like · see review
4.5 Stars. This is a really intriguing book that focuses on building strengths in order for people to grow and succeed. It takes the view that modern psychology which for the most part looks to treat issues such as depression by working to remove the symptoms. Seligman argues (and presents empirical data to back it up) that by using positive psychology to build strengths, humans can grow beyond just the absence of mental maladies. He also suggests that pairing accepted psychological therapies th...more
I am one obsessed with social science popular nonfiction. Of the dozens of books I have read, this one is the best. Why? Because if the value of social science is the betterment of society and life of an individual, which I believe is the best measuring stick, then this book is #1.
I am beyond certain that, in future decades, Martin Seligman founding and building out the cogent theory of well-being and positive psychology will be looked back at a watershed moment in the history of bettering soci...more
I am beyond certain that, in future decades, Martin Seligman founding and building out the cogent theory of well-being and positive psychology will be looked back at a watershed moment in the history of bettering soci...more
2 likes · like · see review
Building strengths rather than repairing diseases is what Martin Seligman's whole psychology career has been about. Here he builds on his previous ideas in Authentic Happiness by identifying "well being" rather than "happiness" as the foundation of mental health. The measure of a satisfying life is found in positive emotion (note: that doesn't mean jolliness and fake cheer but hope, pride, gratitude, etc.), engagement/flow, good relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.
This book is an inspirin...more
This book is an inspirin...more
Flourish is Dr Seligman's correction (improvement) on his earlier book, Authentic Happiness (which he says was not even a title that he liked but the publisher thought that "happiness" in the title would sell more books!). Dr Seligman contents that in the decade since Authentic Happiness was published, Positive Psychology should not and cannot be condensed into the view "that everything we do is done in order to make us happy". His new theory is that of well-being which consists of five elements...more
I enjoyed Dr. Seligman's TED talk and I loved his book Authentic Happiness but this book was a disappointment. There is way too much information on his research working with the armed forces and his criticism of others who are not engaging in happiness from his research perspective to make this book worth reading.
In his talk, as in the book, he gives the daily exercise of writing down three good things that happened which is a concrete step to more happiness.
The best part is the last page which...more
In his talk, as in the book, he gives the daily exercise of writing down three good things that happened which is a concrete step to more happiness.
The best part is the last page which...more
From the title, I was expecting a prescriptive book. Instead, it was more a descriptive book about the general background of positive psychology and several ways it has been used in the past several years. I also was puzzled by the couple of times that Dr. Seligman spent time defending himself against critics, which seemed out of place in this book to me. If you're already a fan of Dr. Seligman and positive psychology, you'll enjoy reading these stories about how the positive psychology model is...more
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I really like the message behind this book and the author's view on the role of positive psychology and the need to strive for well being and not just happiness. I find the work the author is doing with US Army to be very encouraging and am excited to hear/see if his resilience training program helps reduce depression, suicide and other effects of post-traumatic stress and starts to promote real opportunity for post-traumatic growth. I did feel that towards the last third of the book, the author...more
This is a great read. Seligman begins by laying out the change in his thinking since Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment and his development of well-being theory, and then looks at several potential applications of well-being theory: in elementary and graduate education, in the military, and in health and public policy. He occasionally stops to defend himself against others' allegations or to discredit an opposing theory, which...more
I admire Seligman's work in turning psychology into a study of *what works* rather than a study of negativity (eg. abnormal or clinical psychology). This book did feel more like an argument for (& sometimes a defence of) Seligman's systems rather than an in-depth how-to on the systems themselves. There's an interesting description of his work with the US Army & a thoughtful explanation as to why we should teach well-being skills to school kids (brilliant idea!), there's also a chapter on...more
Seligmen does a fantastic job presenting the most recent research and data related to positive psychology. He relates these findings to several prevalant topics including healthcare, military resilience, and business. The content was both interesting and informative. The anecdotal style put the scholarly information in perspective and prevented the book from reading like a dry peer-reviewed article. However, the only negative aspect was Seligman's personality. There are several instances where h...more
قرأت خلاصة هذا الكتاب، هي أول خلاصة فلا أعرف إن كنت فقدت الكثير من محتوى الكتاب بقرائتي لها أم أن بعض الكتب الأفضل أن تُقرأ كخلاصة؟
على العموم أعجبني مفهومه الأشمل للشعور بالقناعة والرضا والسعادة والأمل وووو .. ينظر إليها من عدة جوانب، أعجبني ربطها بالحكومات وأن عليها أن تقيس نجاحها بإنتعاشها ورفاهيتها وليس بمقياس ثروتها كما هو الحاصل الآن
على العموم أعجبني مفهومه الأشمل للشعور بالقناعة والرضا والسعادة والأمل وووو .. ينظر إليها من عدة جوانب، أعجبني ربطها بالحكومات وأن عليها أن تقيس نجاحها بإنتعاشها ورفاهيتها وليس بمقياس ثروتها كما هو الحاصل الآن
One of my graduate school professors talked a lot about the positive psychology movement, one that preaches happiness and positive thinking. I hadn't put much time into it at the time, so this book was a great refresher years later, and gave me a totally different perspective on what exactly positive psychology is. It's not just about being happy and thinking positive -- it's also about overall well-being, self-care, resilience, and overcoming adversity. I work with a number of patients who are...more
I like Martin Seligman's work-I especially appreciate his willingness to frame it in context with the clarity that all work around human nature, personality etc. is an evolving project and always will be. This book offers some insights into happiness and opens our minds to possibilities for maintaining (or perhaps gaining depending on where the reader is currently) a healthy balanced outlook. Check out the section (starts on page 234) on 'Reflexive and Nonreflexive Reality' as a reminder of how...more
In the eight years since publishing Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman has continued to refine his understanding of positive psychology. “Being in a state of mental health is not merely being disorder free; rather it is the presence of flourishing” he tells us as he makes his case for flourishing as perhaps the wisest goal for humanity.
Flourishing—increasing our well-being—is characterized by these five elements:
1. Positive Emotions—The pleasant life, positive affect, feeling happy,
2. Engageme...more
Flourishing—increasing our well-being—is characterized by these five elements:
1. Positive Emotions—The pleasant life, positive affect, feeling happy,
2. Engageme...more
I'd give it four stars except the actual writing style was very difficult to get through, especially the first couple chapters. He actually loosened up and wrote less aggressively statistically once he'd settled into the book. The ideas he pushes are really interesting, I look forward to seeing more from his "movement" of psychology and I plan to use some of the ideas in my life. Just don't expect a really wonderful writing style and just take the actual info out of it. (It could very probably h...more
Dr. Seligman pioneered positive psychology and his work on quantifying happiness was presented in his book Authentic Happiness. After reviewing his work in light of additional findings, he's expanded his theory. To really flourish, an individual needs a high level of well-being of which happiness is just a small part. Flourishing is the true goal of positive psychology.
This book provides a lot of research background to Seligman's findings. In fact, this is a fairly scholarly publication with 25%...more
This book provides a lot of research background to Seligman's findings. In fact, this is a fairly scholarly publication with 25%...more
I found myself skimming a fair amount of this book because it didn't hold my interest to absorb every sentence. I think religious peeps may find that the power of spirituality and religious faith are significantly discounted. However, some of the exercises to promote positive emotion, positive relationships and an attitude of gratitude are good exercises for anyone. He also makes some good points about how the economy and democracy depend on optimism for the future in order to function effective...more
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Seligman is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Psychology. He was previously the Director of the Clinical Training Program in the department. Seligman was elected President of the American Psychological Association by the widest margin in its history and served in that capacity during the 1998 term.[4] He is the founding editor-in-chief...more
More about Martin E.P. Seligman...
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Nov 12, 2011 03:26am
Oct 04, 2012 09:28pm