Dr. Martin Seligman needs little introduction. He’s arguably one of the most famous and influential psychologists alive. His work first on learned helplessness and later on optimism solidly established his reputation. Then, as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, he essentially created a new field within psychology, which he called Positive Psychology. His book, Authentic Happiness , and more recently, Flourish, have helped both to popularize this new field and to solidify it.

I was privileged to attend this Second World Congress in Philadelphia during July of 2011. I recorded Dr. Seligman’s opening keynote on my iPhone and later received his verbal permission to reproduce it here. Because it was recorded on an iPhone from my seat in the audience, the audio quality is less that regular listeners to Shrink Rap Radio have come to expect but is quite intelligible. Unfortunately, I missed the first few words but you should be able to get into the flow of it fairly quickly.

Also, included in this episode, are a few of the interviews I conducted with other presenters and attendees. I hope these will help convey the diversity and excitement of the event.

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A psychology podcast by David Van Nuys, Ph.D.