Optimal Aging: Get Over Getting Older (Paperback)

by Dr. Albert Ellis (Author), Emmett Velten (Author)

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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Open Court (December 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812693833
• ISBN-13: 978-0812693836
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #497,599 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 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

"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.