The Resilience Factor

October 1, 2002
Reivich and Shatte's book is reminiscent of the bestselling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, not just in the number of skills it discusses, but in the approach the authors take, too. They focus on the thinking rather than feeling side of the human psyche, but their intent is to ultimately affect readers' emotional reactions through helping them reprogram their thoughts. University of Pennsylvania professors Shatte and Reivich argue that feelings are a result of thinking; therefore, by changing the way one thinks, one can control one's emotional reactions to stressful situations. They promote an "ABC" system: "A" stands for adversity ("what pushes your buttons"), "B" is your inherent belief about life, which triggers your responding actions and feelings, or "C" ("consequences"). The A's are bound to keep hitting us, but if we analyze and revamp our B's, our C's will improve, resulting in greater peace and happiness. Although skeptics may not be convinced that changing one's thoughts can change one's life, the book could be of help to those who feel powerless over their emotions.

November 1, 2002
Reivich and Shatte's book is reminiscent of the bestselling Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, not just in the number of skills it discusses, but in the approach the authors take, too. They focus on the thinking rather than feeling side of the human psyche, but their intent is to ultimately affect readers' emotional reactions through helping them reprogram their thoughts. University of Pennsylvania professors Shatte and Reivich argue that feelings are a result of thinking; therefore, by changing the way one thinks, one can control one's emotional reactions to stressful situations. They promote an "ABC" system: "A" stands for adversity ("what pushes your buttons"), "B" is your inherent belief about life, which triggers your responding actions and feelings, or "C" ("consequences"). The A's are bound to keep hitting us, but if we analyze and revamp our B's, our C's will improve, resulting in greater peace and happiness. Although skeptics may not be convinced that changing one's thoughts can change one's life, the book could be of help to those who feel powerless over their emotions.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.