/*STARRED REVIEW*/ The subtitle of this psychological self-help adviser seems to promise impossibly more than could be delivered. But Seligman is so much more sensible and lucid than most self-help gurus that he encourages thinking that, yes, this is all we can say--and do--right now about changing undesirable behaviors. "Two worlds views are in collision," Seligman says, over the prospects of behavioral change. Those products of the Western concept of free will--psychotherapy and self-improvement--maintain that behavior is malleable through a variety of conscious techniques. Biological psychiatry asserts that mental illness is physically caused, personality is genetically fixed, and brain chemistry determines emotions; change is possible only by physical interventions, primarily pharmaceutical but also surgical. Seligman comes down between those two extremes in recommending what to do about anxiety, phobias, depression, sexual problems, weight, alcohol use, etc. He advocates techniques that have demonstrably achieved lasting change or--what is far more likely--reduction in the frequency of undesired behavior. He bases his advice in sound research and highly educated inference, which means that his book constantly rewards anyone interested in individual psychology. In the last two chapters, Seligman offers first a devastating critique of the notion that childhood traumas shape adult behavior, particularly as that belief is exploited by the recovery movement, and then his own theory of behavioral change, in which change is possible according to the depth of the behavior--e.g., sexual orientation is very deeply entrenched, hence very difficult to alter, but panic attacks are very shallow and fairly easily eradicated. Absolutely splendid. (Reviewed Nov. 15, 1993)0679410244Ray Olson

Provocative overview by Seligman (Psychology/U. of Penn.; Learned Optimism, 1991) of human psychological and behavioral characteristics: Which ones are subject to change? Which are more or less fixed? Fortunately, there's a great deal of plasticity in human nature, Seligman says, so many troubling patterns of thinking and acting can be altered: anger, depression, phobias, anxiety, depression, sexual-performance problems, alcoholism. Included among Seligman's list of traits that are resistant to change--or are even unchangeable--is the tendency to overweight (our body weight is genetically determined and defended by primal evolutionary forces, he contends; we can attain our own natural, healthy weight but few of us can achieve or maintain the model slimness that the multibillion-dollar diet industry and the media have established as ideal). In what the author describes as ``the saddest chapter'' here, he discusses the irreversibility of post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that for some people--for instance, those who have lost a child, survived the Holocaust, or endured terrible wartime experiences--the damage to their psyche and outlook is permanent. Sexual identity (whether you regard yourself as a man or a woman, irrespective of what your physical characteristics are) and sexual orientation--homosexual or heterosexual--are more or less fixed as well. Among Seligman's more controversial assertions is his claim that childhood experience is a relatively weak influence on adult character and worldview. Flying in the face of a century of psychoanalytic theory--as well as the powerful new Inner Child movement--he maintains that ``only a few childhood events, like the death of your mother, have any documented influence on adult emotional life..,'' and that childhood influence ``is surprisingly small, particularly when compared to the effect of genes on adult personality.'' Readable, solidly rooted in research, and offering--for the most part--a hopeful message. (Tables throughout rate treatments for various disorders according to effectiveness and expense) (First printing of 75,000)

Psychologist Seligman ( Learned Optimism ) here examines common psychological disorders according to their biological and societal, or learned, components. Most enlightening are his analyses of the effectiveness of relaxation, meditation, psychoanalysis and cognitive therapies in the treatment of anxiety, which, along with depression and anger, he claims, can largely be controlled by disciplined effort. Tables demonstrating the success rates of various approaches to given problems, evaluative questionnaires and mostly jargon-free prose complement Seligman's comprehensive, unformulaic discussion. Maintaining that dieting will not help people who are overweight (``Weight is in large part genetic''), the author urges a focus on fitness and health; asserting that a child's psyche heals faster than an adult's, he observes that childhood trauma does not necessarily shape one's adult life: ``the rest of the tapestry is not determined by what has been woven before.'' Direct, instructive and nonreductive, Seligman's observations and theories are positive, realistic and sound. 75,000 first printing; BOMC alternate. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Seligman (psychology, Univ. of Pennsylvania) has written a number of earlier books, including Learned Optimism ( LJ 11/91). In this latest, he examines the psychology of individual change. He begins by reviewing the history of psychological change and the role of psychiatric biology; he then examines the emotional changes that can alleviate everyday stress, panic, phobias, obsession, anger, and depression. Throughout, Seligman uses outcome studies to identify what works in making change. In the third section, he addresses physical change involving sex, diet, and alcohol. The author concludes by summarizing his beliefs that what you can change depends on the depth of the problem and that childhood trauma need not define an adult indefinitely. This extremely well-written book, while aimed at the lay reader, is appropriate for students and professionals as well. Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries.-- Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, Md. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.