Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD
Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology
University of Pennsylvania

e-mail:
seligman[at]psych.upenn.edu
marty[at]apa.org

RESEARCH INTERESTS: positive psychology, optimism, learned helplessness, and depression

TEACHING: Professor Seligman teaches within the following three research areas at University of Pennsylvania’s graduate psychology program: (1) Clinical Psychology, Psychopathology and Personality; (2) Individual Differences and Behavior Genetics; (3) Positive Psychology. Keep in mind that these are not formal sub-divisions of the graduate psychology department. Seligman does not teach under graduate courses in psychology.

BIOGRAPHY – Martin Seligman is considered to be the father of positive psychology. In 1998 during his American Psychological Association’s (APA) presidential speech he set the tone for a more positive psychology. This new psychology movement would be an umbrella term for all explorations that have at their core the scientific exploration of what makes life worth living. A psychology about optimal human functioning rather than disfunctioning. Accordingly Seligman has moved from his early research focus on learned helplessness and depression towards optimism and positive psychology at large.

CURRICULUM VITAE

DEGREES:
A.B., Princeton University, Summa Cum Laude (Philosophy), 1964
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania (Psychology), 1967

WEBSITES:
Authentic Happiness – a companion to the likewise named book with freely available questionnaires
Positive Psychology Center – a great positive psychology resource

VIDEOS

Charlie Rose: On Happiness with Seligman & Chikszentmihalyi (Jan 10, 2005)
HARDtalk: Dr. Martin Seligman Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (Dec 19, 2007)
TED Talks: Seligman on Positive Psychology (July 2008)
Seligman at Happier.com on Positive Psychology & Happiness (Oct 4, 2009)

BOOKS (complete list)

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: Free Press.

Seligman, M.E.P. (1998). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. Second edition. New York, NY: Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster).

Seligman, M.E.P., Reivich, K., Jaycox, L., and Gillham, J. (1995). The optimistic child: A proven program to safeguard children against depression and build lifelong resilience. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

SCIENTIFIC AND SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS (complete list)

Seligman, M. E. P. (1998). Building human strength: Psychology’s forgotten mission. APA Monitor, 29(1). [free full text source]

Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive therapy. In C. R. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 3-9). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. [free full text PDF]

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000, January). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. [free full text document]

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3. The Beginning of Positive Psychology
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