
The Optimistic Child
Published: 1995
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Description
This book shows adults how to teach children the skills of optimism. In The Optimistic Child, Martin Seligman shows how these skills can help them combat depression and achieve more academically, in sports and improve their physical health. Seligman states “teaching children optimism is more, I realized, than just correcting pessimism….It is the creation of a positive strength, a sunny but solid future-mindedness that can be deployed through life – not only to fight depression and come back from failure, but also to be the foundation of success and vitality.”
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happychild’s Review
by Yvette Vignando: I first heard Martin Seligman speak in 2000 in San Francisco at the first international conference on Emotional Intelligence.
It was early days in the Positive Psychology movement and Seligman addressed the conference on how important it would be for children and adults to learn the skills of emotional intelligence, but particularly because some of those skills had the potential to ‘immunise’ us against future psychological illnesses.
Since then, Seligman has been prolific, writing about positive psychology and in particular about Optimism. This book is, in my opinion, an essential read for parents who want to better understand how to boost their child’s optimistic outlook on life. It is not about self esteem but about teaching children to view and understand the world and events in a way that is psychologically healthy and may safeguard them from depression or build their personal resilience.
Included in the book is a test to measure your child’s optimism, examples of how to change your child’s explanatory style and information about boosting your child’s social skills.
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