Martin Seligman

Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD, is an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. He is known within the scientific community for his theories of positive psychology and well-being. He also developed the theory of “learned helplessness,” which posited that a subject would accept through continued adverse circumstances that they were powerless, even if the circumstances then changed. While it was later proved to be in reverse (that a subject’s default state is to assume a lack of control), the theory has led to many helpful approaches to treatment of depression and related mental illnesses.