The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience

Martin E. P. Seligman · Karen Reivich · Lisa Jaycox · Jane Gillham

Sep 2007 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

New York Times bestselling author Martin E. P. Seligman's The Optimistic Child is "the first major work to provide an effective program for preventing depression in childhood — and probably later in life" (Aaron T. Beck, author of Love is Never Enough).

The epidemic of depression in America strikes 30% of all children. Now Martin E. P. Seligman, the bestselling author of Learned Optimism, and his colleagues offer parents and educators a program clinically proven to cut that risk in half. With this startling research, parents can teach children to apply optimism skills that can curb depression, boost school performance, and improve physical health. These skills provide children with the resilience they need to approach the teenage years and adulthood with confidence.

For more than thirty years the self-esteem movement has infiltrated American homes and classrooms with the credo that supplying positive feedback, regardless of the quality of performance, will make children feel better about themselves. But in this era of raising our children to feel good, the hard truth is that they have never been more depressed.

As Dr. Seligman writes in this provocative new book, "Teaching optimism is more than, I realized, than just correcting pessimism...It is the creation of a positive strength, a sunny but solid future-mindedness that can be deployed throughout life — not only to fight depression and come back from failure, but also to be the foundation of success and vitality."

Ratings and reviews

This book has changed my life. Dr. Seligman has helped me to find out the exact reason which was causing my pain, and I am on my way to banish them from my life. It's not that I don't confront those stressful situation in my life. I have them and I handle them with much more control. I have started new venture, I am not overwhelmed with the tasks of it and I am in total control of it. Though I can not communicate with you by other means, this is my very ery small tribute to you. If you ever read this, let me know you that this is my very very small tribute to you. You have repaired what was causing extreme pain to me. THANK YOU ! THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!

About the author

MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Learned Optimism, Authentic Happiness, and The Hope Circuit. He is past president of the American Psychological Association as well as the division of clinical psychology of the American Psychological Association, and former director of clinical training in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.