Martin Seligman, the director of the Positive Psychology Center and the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences, will be honored with the inaugural TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology, Wednesday, Nov. 12, during a ceremony at the University of Toronto. 

Awarded by the TANG Foundation in Toronto, the prize highlights the research and career achievements of leading scholars. Seligman was selected for his lifetime of work in psychology, which has had a long-term and substantial impact around the globe.

As a part of his award, Seligman will receive $100,000 (Canadian).

Known as the “father of positive psychology,” Seligman has generated a lifetime of research in the discipline, which applies psychological studies and interventions with the aim of proactively improving mental health and well being, rather than merely responding to mental illness.

In addition to developing the concept of and consequences related to “learned helplessness,” Seligman’s research has shown routes toward improving optimism, self-discipline and social engagement as well as resilience in the face of tragedy and emotional distress.

A former president of the American Psychological Association, he has received research support from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Aging, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, Guggenheim Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Almost all of Seligman’s achievements have occurred during his time at Penn; he is entering his 50th year as part of the Penn community, having come to the University as a graduate student in psychology in 1964. He joined the faculty in 1972.  

The TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology honors a living internationally recognized scholar in psychology who has demonstrated creativity and rigor and whose record of achievement has left an indelible mark on the field.

Established by Fay Tang in 2006, the TANG Foundation is a private institution headquartered in Toronto. Its objective is to raise awareness of the importance of psychological health in the world, and the aim of the TANG Prize for Achievements in Psychology is to carry on its family tradition of helping others to achieve well being.