Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being Hardcover – April 5, 2011
Author: Visit ‘s Martin E. P. Seligman Page ID: 1439190755
From Publishers Weekly
Seligman, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the guru of the “positive psychology” movement, abandons his previous emphasis on happiness, which he now views as simplistic, to examine how individuals might achieve a richer, multilayered goal: a life of well-being. He identifies four factors that can help individuals thrive: positive emotion, engagement with what one is doing, a sense of accomplishment, and good relationships. Those expecting a guide on how to achieve these goals will be disappointed; Seligman’s approach is largely conceptual and empirical, although he has some useful things to say, such as how even soldiers with PTSD can be taught resilience to recover and even grow from their traumas, and how students of all ages can be taught focus, delayed gratification, and GRIT, a combination of drive and perseverance. But Seligman includes too much on the mechanics of conducting his studies. Also, he can be self-congratulatory regarding his own theory, and harsh and reductionist on traditional treatments (“psychology-as-usual—the psychology of victims and negative emotions and alienation and pathology and tragedy”). This is a potentially important book whose impact may be limited by its flaws. (Apr.)
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Review
“You might think you know about well-being and positive psychology, but there’s so much more you can learn in FLOURISH. With flashes of brilliance, rigorous research, and stories so absorbing that they’re impossible to put down, Seligman’s new book contains wisdom garnered over a long and storied career – a calling that leads him to work with billionaire philanthropists, British lords, Army generals, Australian school kids, and thousands of bright and creative scientists, students, educators, and mental health professionals. If you liked Authentic Happiness, you will like Flourish ten times more. This book is bound to be not only a source of knowledge, but a fount of inspiration.”
— Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
“Brilliant, beautiful, useful, and true. How many books can you say that about? Well, you can say it for sure about Flourish. Written by a master of research as well as a thoroughly joyful man, Flourish will allow you to flourish if you simply read the book and follow its sane, sage, ground-breaking advice. Skeptics, beware! This book will prove you wrong. You actually can plan your way to a joyful and fulfilling life. Read and rejoice!”
–Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Shine: Using Brain Science to Bring the Best from Your People
“The spread of positive psychology is a key development in world culture. This book tells the remarkable story, including its adoption by the U.S. Army.”
–Richard Layard, author of Happiness: Lessons from a New Science
“A compelling view of a positive human future, for individuals, corporations, and nations, brilliantly told.”
–Tony Hsieh, author of Delivering Happiness
“This book is a guide to a state of truly flourishing, reaching our max, getting to the sweetness of life, which comes with our being engaged and committed to people and our own self-care. FLOURISH will help you get the most out of life. A great book to be sure — a must for every bookshelf.”
–John Ratey, MD, author of SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain
“No psychologist in history has done more than Martin Seligman to discover the keys to flourishing and then give them away to the world. Flourish is full of specific techniques you can use to change yourself, your relationships, and your organization. More importantly, Seligman teaches you how to look at life and see possibilities, rather than constraints. If you lead people, work with people, or know any people, you should read this book.”
–Jonathan Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
Hardcover: 368 pagesPublisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (April 5, 2011)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1439190755ISBN-13: 978-1439190753 Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds Best Sellers Rank: #169,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #514 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Emotions #738 in Books > Science & Math > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Psychology #1190 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Happiness
The book starts brilliantly. Professor Seligman offers a revision to his famous theory of happiness and puts forward such a thrilling hypothesis, that I was hesitant to put the book down for a while.
However, and as the reader impatiently waits for the good doctor to explain his new theory in details – after all, it is easy to say you need "engagement" without defining what engagement really is and how it can be achieved – the book moves away from the message and turns into a boring, uninteresting manifesto in defence of positive psychology in general, and professor Seligman’s credentials in particular.
He spends more time, trying to sell the idea than he does explaining it, as if he is making an extraordinary effort to convert unbelievers, than to preach to the already converted. Considering that the majority of those who would buy the book are among the latter group, I am baffled why he decided to turn this into a marketing material!
The book continues with more validating examples of positive psychology’s successes, including two excruciating chapters about Seligman’s work with the military. His repeatedly defensive arguments – specially those targeted at Barbara Ehrenreich and her likeminded entourage – are more suitable for an op-ed column than for a book of this calibre.
Toward the end, Seligman steps into an economic debate about the financial crisis, with such flimsy analogies that makes you wonder why this titan of the psychology should step out of his field of expertise so carelessly!
All being said, "Flourish" is a good book, and for those who are looking for fresh ideas, it does provide enough rich and valuable content to justify the time/money invested.
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