Martin Seligman
Person
Martin Elias Peter Seligman is an American psychologist, educator, and author known for his research on learned helplessness and his role in promoting positive psychology. He is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and directs its Positive Psychology Center.
2 episodes featuring Martin Seligman
Hidden Brain
How helplessness reshapes motivation and agency
The episode connects uncontrollable adversity to passivity and depression while examining why explanatory style, imagination, and optimism can preserve agency.
Sep 21, 2026 · 54 min
The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk
Seligman argues agency powers resilience and human progress
The conversation links personal optimism, organizational performance, and historical change through agency—the capacity to act with efficacy, imagination, and evidence-based hope.
Sep 10, 2026 · 54 min