Martin Seligman

Martin E. P. Seligman (born August 12, 1942, in Albany, New York) is an American psychologist and author of self-help books. His theory of "learned helplessness" is widely respected among scientific psychologists.[1] He is the director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.[2]

According to Haggbloom et al.'s study of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Seligman was the 13th most frequently cited psychologist in introductory psychology textbooks throughout the century, as well as the 31st most eminent overall.[3]

Seligman is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Psychology. He was previously the Director of the Clinical Training Program in the department. Seligman was elected President of the American Psychological Association by the widest margin in its history and served in that capacity during the 1998 term.[4] He is the founding editor-in-chief of Prevention and Treatment Magazine (the APA electronic journal), and is on the board of advisers of Parents.

Seligman has written about positive psychology topics such as The Optimistic Child, Child's Play, Learned Optimism, and, in 2002, Authentic Happiness.