Peale's famous quotations are given in bracket under. In spite of the criticisms of Peale as 'the confidence man, that self hypnosis is the method that he adopts', the positive thinking strain of self development has a certain place in the self help world. Many of the concepts of keeping mind positive do have results in that the mind tends to believe whatever it is made to believe and therefore whatever the mind is set to achieve it tends to achieve. This has been known to individuals and later corroborated by evidence including the changes that happen in the brain.
How religion heals is the kind of technique that falls into the same category as Peale's Power of positive thinking. A certain amount of optimism has developed in me in spite of the many tribulations and part of it is due to the influence of people like Peale.
In a world beset with two world wars and a diminishing in the belief in mankind's capacity to maintain itself any sort of solution however temporary it is if it leads to survival for another day and so on should be the minimum value atached to the works of people like Peale.
It is also necesary to mention that in Psychology there is the development of a new strain of thought called positive psychology which is not to be confused with positive thinking.
Positive psychology is a recognition of the deficiency psychology and a movement away from it into eupsychy which looks at what is normal and what works rather than looking at how we can correct the disease with its underlying assumption of pathology which was the paradigm psychology for a long time found itself in. Evidence of this is the negative connotation attached to psychiatry or psychiatric treatment as in such appellations of the practitioner as 'shrink'.
[When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. Drop the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. The world would go on even without you. Don't take yourself so seriously.Those who are fired with an enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities. It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship. Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.
Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will.Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory. Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful. The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. A positive mental attitude is a belief that things are going to turn out well, and that you can overcome any kind of trouble or difficulty. The tests of life are not meant to break you, but to make you. Live your life and forget your age. ]
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