A Report on The Power of Positive Thinking

A Report on The Power of Positive Thinking Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation A Report on The Power of Positive Thinking Norman Vincent Peale, the author of the book The Power of Positive Thinking explores the roots of success with the intent of enlightening people on the need to believe in their capabilities. The author affirms the need for people to take control of their lives by changing negative attitudes. Arguably, people should understand that positive beliefs and thoughts result in positive reality towards the achievement of set goals. Peale avers that people can have peace of mind and improved health if they manage to overcome life problems. The author provides comprehensive knowledge of strategies that people can use in handling such issues. According to the author, people should handle every life situation with a positive mental attitude, but not ignoring tragedies and difficult situations. The Power of Positive Thinking is one of the modern self-help publications that are relevant in life. Peale reveals ways that people can overcome the struggles that might occur either externally or inwardly. In writing his book, the author merges the science of faith with psychological understanding. The author enlightens people on ways of ignoring negative sensations and thoughts that might lead to depression, anxiety, and fear. The bottom line in the publication is that people should replace negative mindset with a positive one (Peale, 2012). The book is an effective cultural symbol that is enriched with numerous religious practices and principles. Apparently, self-doubt and inferiority complex are issues that affect people in the contemporary world more than medieval times. The main theme of The Power of Positive Thinking is that an individual’s faith in themselves can facilitate the occurrence of good things in life. The publication is a guideline on enhancing self-esteem and living a successful life. Although Peale is a religious man, his volume is not strictly a religious book. Arguably, the author gained inspirations from his life encounters. Peale asserts that he suffered from an inferiority complex disorder, which was a major hindrance in accomplishing his life goals. For that reason, Peale was inspired to advocate for a message that would foresee the merging of psychology and theology because he believed that having a positive attitude can lead to a successful and happy life. Through his publication, Peale advocates that prayer is one of the greatest energy in the universe and a link between people’s feelings, actions, and thoughts. Vincent Peale uses a combination of practical strategies and anecdotal evidence from various successful case histories to explicate positive thinking. The main argument in the publication is that people can use conscious and continuous positive thoughts to cultivate a sense of optimism. Peale contends that visualizations and affirmations are the core techniques of guiding the brain into having an optimistic state and improving overall life quality. However, mental health scholars and professionals criticize the book for relying heavily on shallow moralism, religion, and pseudoscience. Notably, The power of Positive Thinking is a highly popularized publication for mass consumption. Peale lists some of the rules that individuals can apply in overcoming inadequacy attitudes and practicing their faith. One of the main rules is perceiving yourself as successful. Such kind of perception facilitates cognitive biases to implement the success that an individual aspires to achieve. The second rule is drowning negative attitudes that can emerge if people think of themselves as victors. Thirdly, Peale contends that people should minimize the obstacles that might arise in their way and identify the ones that are unnecessary. Fourthly, Peale (2012) argues that people should avoid copying others. Arguably, the behavior of imitating other people can influence people to be overly competitive and aware of all flaws that might arise. Peale recommends that people should recognize God in their life towards achieving their set goals without any hindrance. According to Peale, the sixth rule in overcoming inadequacy attitudes is to approach a counselor for advice in overcoming life issues. Arguably, it is important to recognize the religious mantra that people can do all things through Christ’s strength. People should learn the need for developing an enduring pattern of self-respect behavior. Notably, the author of the publication contends that people should affirm that God has control over their life to ensure that nothing goes wrong. The ninth rule is exhortation and believing that God gives power to His people. Lastly. An individual has to maintain peace of mind towards the accomplishment of set objectives. Additionally, Peale reveals the strategies that people can use in living a peaceful life. He advocates for the need to use visualization, inspirational reading, and clearing one’s mind as effective ways to facilitate consistency towards having positive energy. The author argues that he obtains energy from God. Besides, Peale reveals that the mind has full control over the body encounters and feelings, thus making it easy in relinquishing an individual’s attachment to negative mindsets and opening the unique channels for God’s energy. Peale (2012) advocates for prayers that have intrinsic healing power. According to Vincent, God heals both emotional and physical issues to enhance people’s wellbeing. Accordingly, people can rebound from various negative events. Arguably, people have autonomy in making decisions of obtaining happiness on the basis that most obstacles are mental mindsets. Clearing the mind and positive affirmations are strategies to eliminate obstacles. The book is enlightening in different ways ...