While I understand Seligman's thesis in this book and find his analysis and argument interesting, I am left wondering if this thesis isn't just a more sophisticated version of the old song: "You've got to accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative...." Moreover, Seligman's thesis reminds me of the dictum: "Play to your strengths." This is particularly true in his encouragement to maximize happiness via one's signature strengths and achievement of flow. Thus, it is not clear to me what is really new here.
Seligman states clearly that he is not trying to offer advice that will resolve any current mental illness but rather provide options and avenues for increasing current levels of happiness. In doing so, he argues that the past is for naught and that early trauma of any kind should not prevent one from increasing one's present amount and type of happiness. Yet the past is not so easily dismissed, especially when childhood trauma remains heavily imprinted on one's consciousness. So, in this respect, I find Seligman's basic premise to be fragile in the extreme and his subsequent arguments wide open to challenge.
Finally, a major omission is Seligman's choice not to address the negativity imposed on us by others or by our environment. This omission is especially evident in his discussion of married love. This chapter offers little new beyond classic psychology. It was even quite galling to read the simplistic assertion that married life is happier while ever one can maintain the illusion of one's partner's virtues....Yes, of course, but what about the case of long-marrieds who know each other inside out and whose illusions faded long ago? To me this chapter was a cop out, nothing more or less.
Interested readers may also benefit from visiting the website that accompanies the book, in order to participate in the numerous surveys there. In my opinion, the website is worth more than the book itself, in terms of providing useful insights into the foundations of happiness and methods for increasing one's own personal quota.
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Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realise your Potential for Lasting Fulfilment
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