The Power of Positive Thinking?

‘I choose to speak positive things about my life and manifest positive things into my field of all possibilities’

‘Don’t say no, say Yes, Yes, Yes!’

Ah, I am tired of saying and thinking Yes. Above quotes are from some friends of mine who are overly obsessed with the ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’. Unfortunately I find it more appalling than appealing. Best wishes to all who believe in it, all I have to say is your beliefs come true! That is the power of faith. Oh and faith is not positive thinking, it is conviction, believing without doubt that something is true.

But personally, I always differ to the over inflated hypothetical theory on the 'power of positive thinking'. There is a power in thinking, I do agree... but that power by itself is not just enough to get things done. Hope is just an inspiration, a will to succeed, not a way to succeed. Oh ya, where there is will, there is way rite... but not always!

The idea of the 'power of positive thinking' is not a new one, it is something started in the first quarter of 20th century (1920s), and been very notorious and much debated since then. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was a Protestant preacher and author (most notably of the controversial The Power of Positive Thinking) is supposed to the progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking". It all started from a religio-psychiatric outpatient clinic next door to a church in Manhattan. The clinic was started by Peale and Smiley Blanton, a psychoanalyst. Blanton handled difficult psychiatric cases and Peale, who had no mental health credentials, handled religious issues. When Peale came under heavy criticism from the mental health community for his controversial book "The Power of Positive Thinking," (1952) Blanton distanced himself from Peale and even refused to endorse the book.

Peale is also the originator of another media stunt 'The Art of Living'. Some people are really good in talking non sense so convincingly that after a while you start believing it. They just say the things you already know and are very good in making you "feel" good. Peale's works came under criticism from several mental health experts, one of whom directly said Peale was a con man and a fraud. (Meyer, Donald. "Confidence Man." New Republic. July 11, 1955, pp. 8-10.)

As I summarized above, Peale, the father of this philosophy, is in no way qualified to put forward such a theory, and he was just a pastor. I have nothing against pastors, but generally they tend to be in a spiritually elevated state and try to pull lot of hypothetical theories from thin air, which might be very convincing and true for the poor common mass. Unfortunately, most of the religions enforce so called discipline on the followers and rarely do we question or think about what is thrust upon us by the religious leaders.


The main controversies about the theory were:

1) Hard to Substantiate
Most of these concepts are too vague and you just have to trust them. It is mostly assumptions and conclusions which is neither concrete nor can be proved substantially.


2) Concealed Hypnosis
Peale's "techniques" are actually a scientifically well known form of hypnosis, and he attempts to persuade his readers to follow his beliefs through a combination of self-hypnosis and false evidence. Peale asserts that practicing his "techniques" will give the reader absolute self confidence and deliverance from suffering. The critics, in turn, assert that the repetitive "techniques" are actually a well known form of hypnosis (autosuggestion), hidden under a thin guise with the use of terms which may sound more benign from the reader's point of view ("techniques", "formulas," "methods," "prayers," and "prescriptions."). One author called Peale's book "The Bible of American autohypnotism."

Psychiatrist R.C. Murphy writes that the repeated hypnosis defeats an individual's self motivation, self knowledge, unique sense of self, sense of reality, and the ability to think critically. Murphy calls Peale's understanding of the mind inaccurate, "without depth," and Peale's description of the workings of the mind and the unconscious mind as deceptively simplistic and false.


3) Exaggerated Fears
Peale exaggerates the fears of his readers and followers, and that this exaggerated fear inevitably leads to aggression and the destruction of those considered "negative". "The mastery Peale speaks of is not the mastery of skills or tasks, but the mastery of fleeing and avoiding one's own "negative thoughts." Harvard Scholar Donald Meyer writes this exaggerated fear inevitably leads to aggression. Positive thinking is an armchair activity. Believe it or not, being a balanced pessimist makes you proactive and preventive, avoiding many big failures and catastrophes in life! A very classic example, will you call a pilot who de-ices the airplane a pessimist who doesn’t believe in positive thinking? What would happen if the pilot ignores the ice and just believe nothing will happen? Would you take that chance? Similarly why do you want to take chance in your life by blindly believing in only positive things and ignoring the negative outcomes?



From my observations so far, I have seen this theory more misused than used for good. The power of positive thinking or the power of hope is the most widely used concept to misguide people by MLMs (Multi Layer Marketing, e.g.: Amway, Quest) and the New Age Churches (they sprung up these days like nuclear fission, or like a chain reaction.. every pastor who feels unimportant and unsuccessful in his church rebels and starts a new one). I would rather respect psychological theories coming from a scientist who is qualified to do so, than from a spiritually exalted pastor. I think they should stick to what they are good at… praying, spreading the message of love and peace, and explaining the bible!

What you need to succeed in life is harmony, a right blend of everything. Extremism and exaggeration won’t take you anywhere. I have seen many friends who are eccentric about 'thinking and uttering only positive' and hardly do anything positive and ultimately become a big failure. Also be very cautious these days, people are in constant search for such overrated bullshit ideas to make money. They can easily sell these in religious communities or as self-improvement trainings. Just google for positive thinking and find how many trainers, how many books and how many millions have already been made! Thinking positive is good, but don’t forget to act. And always, think independent and think free too!

For more info, read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale
http://www.todayisthatday.com/blog/the-powerful-problem-with-positive-thinking/