Rating: 
Summary: Tremendous book!
Review: This book is not perfect ... but it is tremendous! I found it much more helpful than the standby in this category, David Burns' FEELING GOOD, which goes over much of the same territory but is so chirpy that the dyed-in-the-wool pessimist will throw it across the room before using its techniques. Seligman, by contrast, first draws the reader in by explaining the concept of "learned helplessness" and how it was first demonstrated in lab animals, and then in humans as well. Thus, by the time he gets around to explaining the techniques of cognitively disputing one's pessimistic thoughts, he has convinced the reader that "learned optimism" is not only truly possible, but attainable for the average person. This book is changing my attitude, and my life. Well worth the less than twelve bucks.
Rating: 
Summary: Still Good -- Need to Add Balance and New Findings
Review: This reprint edition of the original book is still good. It is based on research and theory by Dr. Seligman and other psychologists during the 1980s and earlier decades. So of course it is not up to date about the 1990s research findings limiting the benefits of optimism and demonstrating (for some people) the adaptive value of constructive pessimism. And the original optimistic bias of the American 'positive psychology' movement is now recognized by scholars such as Ed Chang to have been an overly one-sided, and thus unbalanced, theory. A good, very recent book with the new research and theory is "The Positive Power of Negative Thinking" by Julie Norem. Optimism is 51% effective, but for at least 33% of people it is a less adaptive strategy than constructive pessimism. No one-size-fits-all theory of psychological health works for human beings because individual and cultural differences are the real key. Everyone can benefit from looking at both sides of the optimism--pessimism dynamic.
Rating:
Summary: More than useful. Step aside, Phil McGraw!
Review: Dr. Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, started his scientific, methodical and well-documented research on "helplessness" when he was a grad student back in Yale during the late 1960s. Seligman spends a great amount of effort in the first half of this book in illustrating cases, rather then inventing or formulating, on how he became interested in the idea of "learned helplessness" and the difference between Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology.Seligman introduces Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology so that he can bring the less informed readers up to speed for what's to come. Then he gets into the details of his experiments throughout late 1960s to near the end of 1970s. His experiments were on animals at first-- and I must note that he first struggled with the idea of doing these experiments that involved animals-- however, he found a MAJOR difference between the "controlled" group and the "uncontrolled" group. Most of the animals in the "controlled" group, after a series of intended disappointment, simply stopped trying even when the opportunity presents itself. These animals had learned to be "helpless." But there are exceptions, who just won't quit despite the adversity, this is even more true for the human subjects. Nonetheless, Seligman did not stop here, as his true intention is to help people and not to make them more depressed. Seligman then helped his test subjects to unlearn the "helplessness" that they had experienced, and he was 100% successful in doing that. But Seligman notices that there is something beyond his experiment that's driving some of his test subjects to "think to fail" even before the battle begins, likewise, there is also something else that drive the minority to keep on struggling even if there is no solution. Seligman then gets into the "explanatory method" concept in great detail to explain what truly influences a person's thinking. This book is much more than "feel good" positive self-talk. Seligman's theory and solutions are backed by scientific research including those who challenged him at one point or another. Seligman befriended with his oppositions and worked with them to refine his ideas. Parts of this book are more academic than some people would like, but this is what make Seligman a professor and not a talk-show host on TV. Definitely check it out if you are interested in taking on a more optimistic outlook.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating...but useful?
Review: I found this absolutely fascinating (and very well written). The evidence that drawing excessively negative conclusions from dissapointments is bad for your health is compelling. But there's a hitch. I think its fair to say pessamists are skeptics (and perhaps a bit lazy as well) so I really can't see how a person can change the way they think about the world by reading this book and doing its excercises, alone. I loved the book and found it extremely interesting--but I also felt it was a bit like Hypnotize Yourself To Think Positively.
Rating:
Summary: Positive spin on old theory
Review: Seligman's learned helplessness theory is a mainstay in any general psychology course. Learned optimism puts a much more positive spin on things. Book was somewhat trendy and written for everyone so it is accessible to anyone who hasn't got a background in psychology which is good. If you are interested in his ideas...check out William Glasser - Choice Theory...it is a good companion.
Rating:
Summary: Changing the way you think can change the way you feel.
Review: Few of us realize to what extent our negative emotions are exacerbated and even created by our negative thought patterns. Using an engaging, easy-to-read style, fellow psychologist Dr. Seligman explains how we take credit for our failures and discount our successes which in turn leads to depression and other negative outcomes. He presents compelling, real-world evidence, such as how sports teams and political elections are impacted by optimism levels. Dr. Seligman also teaches the reader how to assess their own optimism levels, and then he clearly outlines how to break any negative patterns in order to attain greater happiness. As a psychologist in a college counseling center, I often recommend this excellent book to students that I see.
Rating:
Summary: The case against "pure optimism"
Review: As a pessimist, I found it somewhat laughable to see Seligman suddenly backing off his case for "pure optimism" after he had spend over a hundred pages preaching in favor of it. Suddenly a case is made for "balanced optimism" instead, which makes me wonder whether optimism is really what is so important here. Perhaps it is rather the absence and avoidance of depression that is more important, not whether one is an optimist or a pessimist. I like to think that here, Seligman has made a compelling case against "pure optimism"--which is what so many of us "pessimists" have been so opposed to for so long. It's not whether you see the glass as half-empty or half-full, it's rather the fact that the glass is not full and brimming over. A balanced realism is more important than pure optimism, and even Seligman is forced to agree with this conclusion. What is important is the spin we put on things, not whether we see pie in the sky. My other criticism involves the organization of this book. The important chapters on techniques for avoiding depression are placed at the end, and the rather unimportant chapters on the applications of his theories to sports, politics, and business are placed before. As a result, I can only urge you, the potential reader, to pick and choose the chapters you will read, in whatever order you see fit. In summary, though this is an important book, and can probably help many people lead more positive lives, it does not shake any foundations. Instead, it provides good, sane, commonsense advice and techniques for warding off depression.
Rating:
Summary: Improving your thinking styles
Review: The important message of this book is that optimistic thinking is a very important skill that can be learned. But what is meant by optimistic thinking in this book? Well, to make sense of what happens in their life, people tend to attach explanations to events after they have happened. This process is usually referred to as 'attribution'. Seligman describes how people differ in their explanatory style, in other words, they have different 'habits of explanation'. He distinguishes three dimensions of attribution: 1) permanence (is the cause of the event permanent or temporary?), 2) pervasiveness (is the cause of the event general or specific?), and 3) personalization (is the cause of the even internal -personal- or external - caused by the sitution?). The difference between optimists and pessimist can be described using these three dimensions. Pessimists tend to believe that negative things that happen to them 1) will have a long-lasting effect, 2) will affect many situations, and 3) are caused by themselves. Also, when something positive happens the pessimist tends to explains this negatively by 1) thinking this is just temporary success, 2) won't help him in other situations than this specific one, 3) and is caused by the situation more than by his own competence.
Optimists explain situations exactly the other way around. They tend to think that negative events 1) are just a temporary setback, 2) only affect thìs situation, and 3) are externally caused (not their own fault). Positive things are also explained positively by the optimistic thinker. He will think 1) that the success will last long, 2) that the success will positively affect other situations as well, and 3) that the success was caused by his own doing. What's the relevance of this? Pessimists, by their way of thinking, constantly tend to destroy their own hope and build self-blame en guilt. A pessimistic thinking style causes many problems: emotional problems, under-utilization of your potential, and health-problems. Thinking pessimistically is a dangerous habit. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy: by thinking you have no way of influencing a bad situation, this becomes true. Optimists, on the other hand, build hope and maintain a positive self-image. They perform better at school and/or work, and are, on average, healthier. If this sounds interesting to you, maybe you should read this book. It will help you to assess your own habits of explanation and helps you to develop the skill of thinking positively.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: Not only did this book make me look at life in a totally different way, it actually changed the way I react to certain setbacks in life. When I read this book I was going through a tough time in life. After reading this book, I made a conscious effort to use Seligman's techniques. Guess what, they really do work if you use them. I highly reccomend this book to anyone going through a tough time or if you want to learn more about the benefits of Optimism.
Rating:
Summary: More than the run-of-the-mill "self help" book!
Review: A friend gave me a copy of this book a few years ago when
I was going through a difficult time in my life. I was so
exasperated with my habit of "spinning my wheels," and letting
life's everyday frustrations overwhelm my thoughts. I thought that there has got to be a better way to get through life and to
deal with the obstacles that are an unavoidable part of life. This book has been so helpful to me in understanding my reactions
to events and, now, in keeping things in perspective and not
snowballing into anxiety or depression. I agree with other
readers' reviews that the author seems to spend a lot of time
explaining his theories and experiments, but it was worth it to
me to sort of slog through all that. It made the practical tools
at the end of the book more understandable. It's also helpful to read about certain thought patterns and say "that's just what I do all the time! I thought I was the only one!" You feel that if someone understands what you are going through, they can really help you too. I find with some "self-help" books that the writing is so shallow, so filled with crazy lists of "10 Laws of This," "7 Steps to That," blah blah blah. It's like it's the latest thing
to make lots of silly lists I guess. With this book, though, I
felt that the writer had something much more substantial to offer, backed up by years of professional experience. I recommend the book very highly.
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