Optimal Aging: Get Over Getting Older [Paperback]

Dr. Albert Ellis (Author), Ph.D. Emmett Velten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 1998

America is greying. One in three people will be fifty or older by the end of this decade. Although Baby Boomers have made great strides in changing some of the negative stereotypes associated with ageing, ageism is still prevalent throughout society. These deeply ingrained, harmful prejudices can be changed to benefit everybody, argue Drs. Albert Ellis and Emmett Velten. They believe that everyone can - with the right attitudes, tools and hard work - invent their own lives, not just live out the scripts provided by an ageist society. Written in a humorous and interactive style, "Optimal Aging" should help readers recognize and combat harmful attitudes that hold them back and develop more productive attitudes. The authors address everything from finances to health, personal relationships to retirement planning, dating to coping with loss. Ellis and Velten's methods and tools come from researched, practical forms of self-help and psychotherapy, particularly rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT). "Optimal Aging" seeks to help people: break free of negative stereotypes and prejudices about age; feel happy and committed to life and living vitally; get more of what they want and less of what they don't want out of their longer lives; apply their knowledge and common sense to cope with the practical hassles of older age and to capitalize on its opportunities; cultivate attitudes that will help them plan and act in their own interest; resolve disappointments about past failures and unfulfilled expectations; and create new roles and experiences.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) and the author of over 50 books, and Velten, a psychotherapist in private practice who teaches at the University of California, San Francisco, do not deny that there are real challenges to aging. Regrets about the past, fears of declining health, loss of loved ones, financial concerns, and retirement options are all problems that cause unhappiness as we age. The authors argue, however, that such attitudes are not based on reality but result from fear of what aging might be. Using personal anecdotes and other examples, many humorous, they illustrate how patients have applied the authors' realistic ideas to change behaviors, set new goals, and enjoy life as they grow older. Recommended for popular self-help collections.?Jodith Janes, Cleveland Clinic Fdn.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Renowned psychologist Albert Ellis and co-author Emmett Velten challenge the orthodoxies of aging. Ellis' smart, contrarian thinking will inspire many. -- Time, 1/18/99

Say goodbye to the porch-rocker model of aging; elder 'tude is abroad in the land. The founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Ellis does not have a prescription for ending agism. But he is an expert in using logic to dispute faulty assumptions-individuals' and society's. Here he focuses his talent on defending your self-concept from a youth obsessed culture.

Clear, crisp and sometimes downright uppity, the book is full of rebuttals to conventional wisdom about the horrors of aging. -- Dallas Morning News

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (December 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812693833
• ISBN-13: 978-0812693836
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #888,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

(1913-2007) Albert Ellis held M.A and Ph.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. He was the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), the pioneering form of the modern Cognitive Behavior therapies. He was the president of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York, where he practiced individual and group psychotherapy, supervised and trained psychotherapists, and presented many talks and workshops at the Institute and throughout the world. He published over seven hundred articles and more than sixty books on psychotherapy, marital and family therapy, and sex therapy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aging At Your Own Pace, November 20, 2003

By 

Christopher Boyd (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Optimal Aging: Get Over Getting Older (Paperback)

"Age is a state of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter." These are Mark Twain's words and they hint at the mind's role in aging. Psychologists Albert Ellis and Emmett Velten have gone beyond Twain to more specifically define ways the mind influences how we age.
Albert Ellis defined the ABC model of perception. "A" is the perception, "B" is the thought or belief, and "C" is the reaction. So changing the thoughts or beliefs at "B" changes how we react to the world. This book applies this cognitive theory to the specific area of aging. The authors take many of the assumptions about what it is to grow older and challenge those assumptions. There are abundant examples, both from their clients lives as well as their own, of people changing their lives by changing their beliefs and optimizing their life styles.
It is a well thought out venture into aging demonstrating clearly that optimal aging can truly be a case of "mind over matter." Highly recommended for all those who will be one day older tomorrow.