Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being [Hardcover]

Martin E. P. Seligman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2011

“This book will help you flourish.” With this unprecedented promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, his first book in ten years—and the first to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is. Traditionally, the goal of psychology has been to relieve human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for fifteen years, is different—it’s about actually raising the bar for the human condition.

Flourish builds on Dr. Seligman’s game-changing work on optimism, motivation, and character to show how to get the most out of life, unveiling an electrifying new theory of what makes a good life—for individuals, for communities, and for nations. In a fascinating evolution of thought and practice, Flourish refines what Positive Psychology is all about. While certainly a part of well-being, happiness alone doesn’t give life meaning. Seligman now asks, What is it that enables you to cultivate your talents, to build deep, lasting relationships with others, to feel pleasure, and to contribute meaningfully to the world? In a word, what is it that allows you to flourish?

“Well-being” takes the stage front and center, and Happiness (or Positive Emotion) becomes one of the five pillars of Positive Psychology, along with Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—or PERMA, the permanent building blocks for a life of profound fulfillment. Thought-provoking in its implications for education, economics, therapy, medicine, and public policy—the very fabric of society—Flourish tells inspiring stories of Positive Psychology in action, including how the entire U.S. Army is now trained in emotional resilience; how innovative schools can educate for fulfillment in life and not just for workplace success; and how corporations can improve performance at the same time as they raise employee well-being.

With interactive exercises to help readers explore their own attitudes and aims, Flourish is a watershed in the understanding of happiness as well as a tool for getting the most out of life. On the cutting edge of a science that has changed millions of lives, Dr. Seligman now creates the ultimate extension and capstone of his bestselling classics, Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism.

Editorial Reviews

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.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (April 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439190755
• ISBN-13: 978-1439190753
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Emotions
  • #79 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Psychology

More About the Author

Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., is the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, the director of the Positive Psychology Network, and former president of the American Psychological Association. Among his twenty books are Learned Optimism and The Optimistic Child.