What are the three components of agency in Martin Seligman's book Agency?

Martin Seligman defines agency as three parts: efficacy, the belief you can reach your goals here and now; optimism, the belief you can reach them in the far future; and imagination, the range of goals you can see. His book Agency, seven years in the making, traces these from hunter-gatherers to modern times to ask when people flourish and when they stagnate.

• For efficacy Seligman recommends graded task assignment: someone stuck in a filthy apartment starts by washing one cup.
• Seligman says nobody has really succeeded at teaching imagination, and sees AI as the first breakthrough there.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Modern Wisdom (2026-10-24). Read the whole episode summary →

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