Rating: 
Summary: a must for every caring parent's library
Review: 'Want to give your children a gift that will be precious to them for a lifetime? Give the gift of optimism. Although I first read the book two years ago, it has left an impression on my parenting and I sometimes refer back to it. Seligman's research-based approach to instilling optimism and confidence is both inspiring and relatively easy to implement. While the book focuses on older children who are already proficient in dealing with abstract concepts, I found the book useful as a parent of very young children: some concepts could be applied to my parenting surprisingly early, and all could be applied to my personal outlook to enhance my own optimism and mental health (and to help me model optimism for my children). I hope every parent reads this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Needs more substance.
Review: An injection of self esteem without understanding the causes of depression? Good case examples followed by limited data to support theories. Fails to mention the life cycle and how cognition and depression develops. Could benifit from explanations and outcomes of various parenting styles. Title would be more in line with "How to communicate with your child."
Rating:
Summary: Just Right If Child and Parents Have Optimistic Temperaments
Review: Dr. Seligman's book is just right if your child and both parents are temperamentally optimists. In that case, this book is wonderful and I recommend it to you. But if the child or one or both of the parents have a more pessimism-prone personality temperament, it is advisable to add understanding of new research on the cognitive strategy called 'constructive pessimism' which deals with individual differences in the normal range of personality temperaments of optimism -- pessimism. Psychologist Ed Chang edited the new book on that, Optimism and Pessimism. So add Chang to Seligman for balance, and if you need more then look at books by Elaine Aron. That's my advice for completeness -- children and adults really do display a fascinating and sometimes challenging range of personality temperaments. And when it comes to making the most of life, No one size fits all.
Rating: 
Summary: Parents Beware: Flimsy Science -> Potentially Deadly
Review: I am always impressed with psychologists who rush in with advice to parents based on flimsy research. Unlike what the author suggests, the technical literature on optimimism and pessimism does not clearly indicate that being optimistic is better than being pessimistic. Pessimists are more realistic and that has been found to be benificial in certain circumstances. Recently even Seligman's own research indicates that pessimism is better than optimism in many real life situations: pessimists perform better than optimists in law school and pessimists in later life are more likely to not get depressed than optimists when confronted with traumatic experiences. Seligman's ideas are based on the mis-application of animal research on learned helplessness to human depression. Learned helplessness research with non-humans consists of placing the animals repeatedly in situations in which they recieve shocks without being able to avoid them. Then when the animals are later placed in situations where they can avoid the shocks, they show 'learned helplessness', a degraded ability to avoid the shocks (in comparison to animals that did not recieve uncontrollable shocks). The fact that Seligman made animals suffer needlessly aside, his theory about the mechanism of learned helplessness in animals has been attacked by many researchers in that field. His suggestion that you (the parent) alter your parental behavior is similar to a quack MD suggesting that you should give a medicine that has not gone through proper clinical trials to your child, it's unethical. Hitler was an optimist (invaiding the USSR, declaring war on the USA). My personal guess is that kids who shoot other kids are optimists. Seligman is encouraging us to potentially raise a bunch of meglomaniacs who'll kill people. Just to to stir the pot: isn't it interesting that school shootings started to happen after psychologists began to interfer with parental behavior?
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it's Mistitled, but it's GREAT
Review: I don't disagree entirely with the one-star reviewer--optimism is hardly the answer to all of society's problems. However, as the parent of a son who often shows signs of inheriting ... depression ..., I found this book to be a proactive alternative to the little lectures on over-reacting to situations that I had been giving! I explain the steps Seligman suggests as games we play to prepare him for middle school and they get him thinking about the control he can exert in his own perceptions (this is a skill often not acquired until late adolescence, if ever). Finally, some support for at-risk kids! I only wish more parents were aware of the influence their behavior wields--this book helps both parent and child increase self-understanding. Other books on childhood depression depend too heavily on explaining available medication--THANK YOU, Mr. Seligman, for offering concrete advice on drug-free depression-prevention.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it's Mistitled, but it's GREAT
Review: I don't disagree entirely with the one-star reviewer--optimism is hardly the answer to all of society's problems. However, as the parent of a son who often shows signs of inheriting ... depression ..., I found this book to be a proactive alternative to the little lectures on over-reacting to situations that I had been giving! I explain the steps Seligman suggests as games we play to prepare him for middle school and they get him thinking about the control he can exert in his own perceptions (this is a skill often not acquired until late adolescence, if ever). Finally, some support for at-risk kids! I only wish more parents were aware of the influence their behavior wields--this book helps both parent and child increase self-understanding. Other books on childhood depression depend too heavily on explaining available medication--THANK YOU, Mr. Seligman, for offering concrete advice on drug-free depression-prevention.
Rating:
Summary: What a find
Review: I never would have imagined the excellent condition of this book. It was recommended to me by a psychologist. I haven't read it yet but it appears to have real life examples, practical quidelines and blank forms for use in assessments of your own.
Rating:
Summary: What a find
Review: I never would have imagined the excellent condition of this book. It was recommended to me by a psychologist. I haven't read it yet but it appears to have real life examples, practical quidelines and blank forms for use in assessments of your own.
Rating:
Summary: A strong, well researched book.
Review: I respect the opinion of the previous reviewer, but disagree. Seligman's research appears sound and is presented in detail for the reader's own evaluation. Further, he addresses the problems of optimism in a full chapter! I think the book is very valuable, especially for those parents with pessimistic outlooks themselves, and in general doesn't dump children into categories. I recommend it strongly for its concrete techniques and well-balanced advice.
Rating:
Summary: Optimism-an Emotional Intelligence Competency That Works
Review: I'm an Emotional Intelligence coach. I work with adults teaching them EQ competencies, including optimism, and I've seen it work wonders! Since reading this book, I've been teaching it to children with the same results. It's particularly important in children with high IQs. Their propensity to perceive more deeply, and their perfectionism made them set-up for depression. They can get into trouble with their thinking (can't we all!). Seligman's theory works, if you take the time to understand it and follow his instructions. The essence of optimism is not the upward cycle, but being able to avoid the downward spiral when a disappointment, loss or failure occurs. It's a way of thinking that can be changed. Would you like to live 19% longer, enjoy better health, be more likely to fulfill your potential ... all this backed by Seligman's years of research ... and wouldn't you want this for your child?
| 
