Rating: 
Summary: I'M HAPPY ALREADY :)
Review: What I love most about this book is that it advices us to focus on our positive strengths rather than our weaknesses. Spending all day thinking negatively about your faults doesn't help you be happy. But, focusing on the good, then enhancing it, that makes perfect sense. My favorite book on the subject of happiness is "The Little Guide To Happiness".
Rating:
Summary: prescription for a happy, fulfilled life
Review: After wide-reaching research across time and cultures, Martin Seligman has identified six virtues: Wisdom and learning, courage, love and humanity, justice, temperance, spirituality and transcendence. In "Authentic Happiness" he describes how to strengthen your character in order to develop these life-affirming virtues. Unlike traditional psychotherapy, which revolves around a "talking cure" and seeks to identify traumatic events in a person's past, and even to assign blame, Seligman's Positive Psychology focuses on developing your "signature strengths", and on learning what you will find genuinely fulfilling in life.Using personal anecdotes in addition to well-documented (and in some cases, surprising) studies, he demonstrates how we can avoid being trapped by the downward spiral of negativity and depression. This is a remarkable book that defies classification. It should not be limited to the "self-help" genre, as Seligman goes far beyond that to introduce a new way of thinking about individual potential. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a must read!
Review: Dr, Seligman's books are the best works I have ever read on this subject. Most of the books you read on this subject matter. Are usually filled with ancient philosophy or the author's own personal feelings on the subject. This book is based in clinical research. Dr Seligman has turned the World of Psychology inside out and wipes away long held beliefs. Unless your a grad student, the writing will challenge your vocabulary at times. I found myself with a dictionary a number of times. I am looking forward to Dr, Seligmans next book.
Rating: 
Summary: So who can be against being positive?
Review: Professor, "no mind" embraces authentic happiness and authentic pessimism, unauthentic happiness and unauthentic pessimism--and all such things apart from your Buddha Nature. In saying what you have said, you have said exactly nothing. Herr Hitler apparently found great contentment in knowing his strengths and actualizing them. I think he was utterly convinced that what he was trying to do was for the good of all and profoundly positive.
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Summary: Authentic happy -- and negative -- feelings
Review: Dr. Seligman's new book deserves its 5-star rating and best-seller status, for helpfulness in the wonderful tradition of the Handbook of Humanistic Psychology !! The "Authentic Happiness" book's web site for testing one's 'signature strengths' is also a real plus. The only leftover question is: What about the authenticity of negative feelings? Can anxiety, worry, and caution be authentic and even constructive parts of human experience too, as some psychologists in the book Optimism and Pessimism report. It seems that positive, humanistic psychology is helpful toward becoming authentically happy and self-actualized, as long as human negativity is also seen in its proper psychological perspective.
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Summary: Personality council in what may seem new to the...
Review: If you are a traditional councilor or stickler to proven past behaviour analysis this book breaks the historical bonds, but as rationally as humanly possible. It would be worthless as a professional to break down the methodology here in a book review, other than say I agree in theory this is a workable therapy. Can a book bring happiness?, not at all but the methods for positive thinking definitely will hit home runs for many personalities. The one ommission here, that I experience in every case is the existence or non-existence of a God in authentic happiness. For that a book which uses positive psychology with and without God I highly recommend is SB: 1 or God by Karl Mark Maddox.
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Summary: As a physician
Review: As a physician who has treated clinical depression and anxiety the past 16 years, I have studied the best of pop psychology [Burns, Peurifoy, Bourne]. The standout feature of Seligman is that he is able to take high level scientific data and incorporate it into his lay literture. It provides for a strong argument in trying to convince the reader of the topic a hand. Also, Seligman is able to provide us with a progression of any of his previous written work. So 10 years ago, he presented us with "flexible" or learned optimism. Now, he has acquired enough data to back-up that basic concept and lay the foundation for the whole new field of "Positive Psychology". He truly is a visionary in this field. And yes, he most likely will succeed in cultivating a new branch of psychology.
Rating:
Summary: A Profound Gift to Humanity
Review: Leave it to Martin Seligman to not only catch the affective revolutionary wave sweeping through academic psychology, but to turn it into a tsunami called Positive Psychology.
With rare vision and courage, he forges science into realms long neglected, into the upside potentials, strengths, and virtues of human being. And who else could present the research so clearly, cleverly, practically and insightfully to the public. Authentic Happiness is a must read for every kind of scientific or spiritual seeker---for the pioneering discoveries of how nature's emotional processes intersect with culture's moral virtues hint at tremendous unifying promise. The journey will delight and inspire both mind and heart.
Rating:
Summary: REACHING FOR THE SKY!!!
Review: This could be the greatest book that I've ever reviewed. Virtually turning psychology
and psychiatry upside-down and starting virtually from scratch. The author first
emphasizes the value of modern day psychotherapy. Out of dozens of mental
diseases, only two are curable. What is the answer? The author is a distinguished
scientist and author of the best-selling book, "Learned Optimism." Also, the
leading researcher of depression. So this is really a book that is going to
create havoc. As did B.F. Skinner's legendary "Beyond Freedom and Dignity."
Skinner's book failed to change the world as predicted. This book might.
The main concept of Positive Psychology (this new science) is quite easy to grasp.
From Freud until now, mental health professionals have been concentrating
on disease or a negative psychology. Finding out what is wrong with you.
And they have, for the most part, failed. But what if we increase positive traits
such as kindness, courage, or humor. Evidence shows that a positive orientation.
is the best way to dissolve mental illness. And this is what Positive Psychology
is all about. The website is not operating yet as of this writing (August 24, 2002).
But please bookmark Seligman's site after you buy the book. In the book, twenty-four strengths are picked out as being most valuable for us at this time. You are
supposed to pick out the strongest five that you have. These are your five
"signature strengths." From these, you will model your work life, love life, and personal life. There is a chapter devoted to an update on increasing the strength.
of Optimism. That chapter is worth the book alone. Finding out our five signature strengths is the core of the book. This can account for tremendous dissatisfaction.
in our jobs and marriages. This is a bold and frightening book. Mainly because
Seligman is so highly respected in the world of psychology and psychiatry. If
Positive Psychology works, Seligman will be bigger than Freud. If it fails, he will
look like a buffoon. Thank you. I hope this review helped.
Rating:
Summary: Profound and Inspiring!!
Review: "Authentic Happiness" is the best psychology book I've read in ages. Dr. Seligman's advice for achieving emotional fulfillment through pursuing ones's innate strengths, rather than picking apart the past and trying to solve decades-old problems, is brilliant. I'm ready to use what I've read to make a better life for myself.
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