In The Optimistic Child, Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman offers parents, teachers, and coaches a proven program to prevent depression in children. In a thirty-year study Seligman and his colleagues discovered the link between pessimism--dwelling on the most catastrophic cause of any setback--and depression. Seligman shows adults how to teach children the skill of optimism to combat pessimism and its disastrous consequences: depressed mood, resignation, underachievement, and even unexpectedly poor physical health.

Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books, including Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness. He is past president of the American Psychological Association as well as the division of clinical psychology of the American Psychological Association, and former director of clinical training in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

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