The Beethoven Factor: The New Positive Psychology of Hardiness, Happiness, Healing, and Hope

by Paul Pearsall

True or Stress is good for you. Conventional wisdom insists that the statement is false, that stress is a thief robbing us of our ability to relax and enjoy life to its fullest. But for centuries, poets and philosophers have celebrated the ups and downs of life as the very essence of living, the spice that enables us to taste life fully. So who's right? The new, fast-emerging positive psychology movement is affirming the timeless wisdom of the philosophers by showing that it is not stress itself preventing us from enjoying life, but our negative reaction to stress that does the damage. Positive psychology confirms that rather than shrinking from adversity, we must become engaged by it-and thrive through it-before we can savor all the sweetness life has to offer. Dr. Paul Pearsall, bestselling author and a leading figure in the field of positive psychology, calls this proven phenomenon of converting stress into personal discovery and transformation Stress-Induced Growth, and says it is the essential element in unlocking your life's full potential. In The Beethoven Factor , Pearsall introduces you to the people he calls thrivers, individuals who face life's unavoidable challenges head-on and grow stronger and more vital as a result. Included are the amazing and inspiring stories of these so-called thrivers, including the composer Ludwig von Beethoven who wrote his best-loved symphonies despite total deafness, and the author himself who overcame Stage IV cancer. Pearsall explains that these thrivers have important lessons to teach us about the life-enhancing art of flourishing. Though rare, thrivers are not unique; we all have the innate ability not only to weather life's tumults, but to become better than we ever were before. The Beethoven Factor gives you the tools to uncover your own "thriveability" and begin experiencing the richness, beauty, and true pleasure of living.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

About the author

Dr. Paul Pearsall was a licensed clinical neuropsychologist, clinical professor at the University of Hawai`i, and on the Board of Directors of the Hawai`i State Consortium for Integrative Health Care. He was a member of the heart transplant study team at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Senior Research Advisor for the Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona.

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

What IS it about that iconic Endurance of Beethoven - or the majestic marbles of Michelangelo, for that matter - that have made their legendary INDOMINATABILITY so Legendary?

Simple, it’s The Beethoven Factor.

This Book says it is, anyway...

Or IS it? Let’s take a look -

First, on the naysayers’ side...

So many of us have grown TIRED of this too-happy “factor.” His music can drive us mad: the density of it; the Loudness of its climaxes; the unevenness of those many potboilers Beethoven churned out.

And there IS truth to that.

We may put his attraction down to the apparent self-pity we so identified with as teens. Or to our aversion to his sycophantic desire to please (especially those butt-kissing early crowd pleasers he wrote when young, or, later, impoverished.)

And there’s something else...

Beethoven’s music is frankly daemonic at times: his reiterative one-upmanship. His Victory At All Costs attitude. His superficial mindset in the barn-burning potboilers.
***

Be that as it may, on the positive side, how often has he Saved us from Negativity and Depression?

Probably more times than we can remember.

And That’s the thesis of this remarkable book.

More often than not, he has cheered us up.

And we have to put it down to his Dogged Indomitability.

It’s a real lifesaver, or can be, for THAT’s the Beethoven Factor.

Like a stranger’s kind words to us on a gloomy day.

You see, it doesn’t have to be an ego-driven thing.

Now, at our coming of age, the Negative Side of life can take precedence for the rest of our lives.

But it doesn’t HAVE to be like that!

For to live Well-Balanced Lives we MUST -

Live the BEETHOVEN FACTOR.

Another rainy day?

OutSHINE it.

More ugly world news?

OutSHINE it.

Pandemic Lockdown?

OutSHINE it...

The Positive Thinking BEETHOVEN FACTOR WORKS -

And all it takes is the Power to say YES to Life!
***

How did Professor Paul Pearsall KNOW all this?

Simple. He was a CARDIAC NEUROLOGIST!

And the Heart has EMOTIONS of its OWN:

https://youtu.be/LelkiUDS0yM

[Douglas Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Pearsall (The Pleasure Prescription), "'just making it through' and existing are ultimately never enough." To succeed, one must thrive, and that usually means overcoming great trauma and stress--much as Beethoven did to create his master works. Here, he presents case studies of everyday people who have beat the odds and are happier for it, with an eye toward developing such skills in readers. Thriving embodies what he calls "positive psychology" a passionate field that opposes the "pathology" of much Western mental health, instead focusing on what "causes US to be healthy." Powerful, focusebeethovend, but stylistically dense (the reader must really pay attention), Pearsall's prose often reveals buried gems--"our most magnificent human strengths are fired in the crucible of adversity." Shelved alongside other proponents of positive psychology (e.g., Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiMihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Martin SeligmanMartin Seligman), this will find an immediate and appreciative audience in larger public libraries.

Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Laurie AH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the message of this book, and the brief stories of people who thrive. 3 stars because it seemed repetitive and longer than it needed to be. But I did learn about positive psychology, and the way he contrasted it with “positive thinking” pop psychology was informative. I do love a good list too, so I appreciated the bullet points that appeared frequently throughout.

[Cindy Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! All about positive psychology; how you should live your life.