Martin Seligman is an American educator, psychologist, and author of self-help books. Martin promotes his theories of positive psychology and well-being in the scientific community.
Biography
Martin Seligman was born on August 12, 1942 in Albany, New York, USA to a family with Jewish roots. The education of the famous psychologist began with an ordinary public school at the place of his birth. Then he also entered the local academy and graduated successfully. In 1964 he received his BA in Philosophy from Princeton University with the Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honor). In North America, this award is usually awarded to graduates who are at the top of the rankings among students in a class.
In the final year of his studies, Seligman faced a difficult choice between proposals for further development. Oxford University offered a degree in Analytical Philosophy, while Pennsylvania University offered research in experimental animal psychology. Refusing the first offer, he chose Pennsylvania and subsequently received a doctorate there. Soon, at the same university, Martin received the title of candidate of psychological sciences, and already in June 1989 he achieved an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Uppsala University in Sweden.
Martin has seven children, four grandchildren and two dogs. Together with his second wife, Mandy Seligman, they live in a three-story mansion where the famous conductor Eugene Ormandy once lived. Three out of five children studied at home and not at school. Seligman is an avid bridge player who regularly competes in major tournaments and has won more than fifty regional championships and also finished second in the famous "Blue Ribbon Pairs" tournament.
Professional activity
Martin Seligman is the director of the Penn Positive Psychology Center and works in the Department of Psychology in the Penn Department of Psychology. He is a leading specialist in positive psychology, resilience, educated helplessness, depression, optimism and pessimism, as well as in the field of operations that prevent depression, as well as strengthen strength and improve well-being. He has more than 300 scientific publications and 25 books on his account.
Dr. Seligman's books have been translated into over 45 languages and have been worldwide bestsellers. His most famous works include Flourish, Authentic Happiness, Learned Optimism, What You Can Change & What You Can't, The Optimistic Child, Helplessness and Abnormal Psychology. Published works have been featured on the front pages of The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, and many other popular magazines.
Martin is the recipient of a variety of awards including the American Psychological Association Lifetime Achievement in Psychology Award, the Tang Award for Lifetime Achievement in Psychology, the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society for Research in Psychopathology "and the Distinguished Contribution Award for Basic Research with Applied Relevance from the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology" and many others.
Learned helplessness
Seligman's first experiments were performed at the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. They were aimed at studying the depressive state and formed the basis of the theory of "learned helplessness". This term was introduced by Martin and described the state of a person or animal in which the individual does not attempt to improve his condition (does not try to avoid negative stimuli or get positive ones), although he has such an opportunity.
This effect was accidentally discovered quite by accident in experiments with dogs: trained animals did not react to the opportunity to learn how to run away from an uncomfortable situation. Seligman developed the theory further and concluded that helplessness is a psychological state in which a person or animal has learned to act helplessly in a particular situation. This usually happened after some inability to avoid an adverse situation. Already an experienced psychologist saw similarities between patients and people suffering from severe depression, and argued that clinical depression and related mental illness is partly due to a perceived lack of control over the outcome of the situation. In later years, along with Abramson, Seligman reformulated his theory of scientific helplessness. by including the attribution style.
Positive psychology
Martin Seligman is one of the authors and creators of "positive" psychology. This direction, which explores the positive aspects of the psyche, seeks to reveal the natural abilities of a person and make life more prosperous. Seligman worked with Christopher Peterson on this project. Together they attempted to create a positive counterpart to the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," aimed at classifying mental disorders.
In their research, Seligman and a colleague studied various cultures, trying to find a list of virtues that were recognized by people in ancient China and India and in modern Western society. Thus, the basis of "positive" psychology was based on six strengths of human character: wisdom, knowledge, humanity, justice, moderation and transcendence.
Wellbeing
In 2011, Martin Seligman's book "Flourish" was published, in which the "theory of well-being" was presented for the first time. This work is a continuation of the direction of "positive" psychology. It continued the concept of the underlying positive factors that are most conducive to a well-lived and fulfilling life. Seligman introduced the well-known abbreviation "PERMA" (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishments).
"Positive emotions" include a wide range of feelings, not just happiness and joy. This includes emotions such as excitement, satisfaction, pride, and awe. "Involvement" means participation in activities that are based on the interests of the individual. "Relationships" are important for fueling positive emotions, whether work-related, family, romantic, or platonic. “Meaning” is also known as purpose and begs the question “why”. "Achievement" is the pursuit of success and excellence.
