ABSTRACT
During his term as president of the American Psychological Association, Martin E. E Seligman (1998a) identified "building human strength" as psy.. chology's forgotten mission. Unfortunately, in drawing this conclusion Seligman might have overgeneralized. Maybe clinical psychology has ne .. glected positive development, but counseling psychology has never forgot .. ten the importance of developmental and preventative approaches to helping people cope with life's challenges. Counseling psychology has not treated clients as passive recipients of external reinforcement and shaping, a second deficit of psychology according to Seligman. Counseling psychol.. ogy has always viewed people as active shapers of their own lives and pro.. ducers of their own development.
