Affirmations Under Fire: A Response - The Affirmation Spot for Wednesday June 8, 2009

Ray's Daily Affirmation:

"Focus on the goal...When I set out to achieve something I eliminate all the negatives and naysayers and focus completely on my goal."(Download this mp3 affirmation or 100s of others at The Affirmation Spot)

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Recently, a study questioning the validity of affirmations ("positive statements") was published in Psychological Science. The paper entitled "Positive Self-Statements: Power for Some, Peril for Others" was co-authored by Dr. Joanne Wood, Elaine Perunovic, and John W. Lee.

Today I am going to share my own thoughts on this research and would invite mental health professionals, people in the coaching and self-development fields, or ordinary readers who have used affirmations to comment on the topic.

The researchers conducted a study based on the following premise from their paper's abstract.

Positive self-statements are widely believed to boost mood and self-esteem, yet their effectiveness has not been demonstrated. We examined the contrary prediction that positive self-statements can be ineffective or even harmful. A survey study confirmed that people often use positive self-statements and believe them to be effective.  Two experiments showed that among participants with low self-esteem, those who repeated a positive self-statement (‘‘I’m a lovable person’’) or who focused on how that statement was true felt worse than those who did not repeat the statement or who focused on how it was both true and not true.Among participants with high self-esteem, those who repeated the statement or focused on how it was true felt better than those who did not, but to a limited degree. Repeating positive self-statements may benefit certain people, but backfire for the very people who ‘‘need’’ them the most.

I am always shocked and dismayed by the cynicism that emerges when the subject of positive thinking comes up. This research certainly seems to have awakened a cadre of bloggers and journalists ready to pounce and denounce positive thinking as a sham. I have written often on this blog about the constant stream of disempowering messages that some in media like to produce. I have also written about the whole concept that somehow positive thinking is perceived as less "realistic" than negative thinking. Both of these factors seem to be in play as this story unfolds.Let me begin by expressing my alarm, not at this study or its results, but at the way it has been heralded in the mainstream and psychological press as empirical evidence that positive thinking is a fraud. Those 20 year old images of Stuart Smalley have been dusted off and pushed front and center to ridicule the practice of thinking positively.Oprah, Wayne Dyer, and other luminaries in what I would term the "empowered thinking" movement have been chided for their support of such nonsense. Their statements that we human beings are capable of amazing things when we change the way we think have been taken to task as fantasy.Some Examples of the typical media fair:

• Positive Self-Statements Do More Harm Than Good
• Why Self-Help Programs Are Bogus
• The Power Shortage of Positive Thinking
• Self-Help Makes You Feel Worse
• The Hidden Dangers of Affirmations
• Thinking Positive Makes Some Feel Glummer: Study
• The Powerlessness of Positive Thinking
• Power of Positive Thinking Questioned
• Think Again About Positive Thinking
• Self-Esteem Can Damaged by Positive Thinking, Posits Study
• Positive Thinking Has A Negative Side, Scientists Find
• Chanting "I Am Happy" Can Make You Sad: Study

Worst of all, people suffering from depression and other negative thinking disorders have been told that thinking positively is bad for them and it should be avoided because it will make them feel worse.I have been in contact directly with Dr. Wood. It is my belief that she and her colleagues are trying to conduct honest research and find honest answers to honest questions. After reading and digesting the paper that resulted from their research, I am convinced that the flaw lies not in the researchers' intentions, but in the selected methodology. Dr. Wood, based on her writing, agrees that specific statements may have more efficacy than the general "I am lovable" statement used in the experiments that led to the paper."Moment by moment, brick by brick, I am building a life full of things more important to me than my problems."This topic is very near and dear to my heart. I don't speak as an outsider on the topics of affirmations or severe depression. 20 years ago, at the age of 25, I nearly died due a severe depression and undiagnosed Addison's Disease. The fact is I should have been dead. My electrolytes were below levels capable of supporting life. I had eaten nothing and drank little for weeks and I was down to 96 pounds. My father had to carry me into the hospital emergency room. Every cell in my body hurt and I wanted to die to escape the pain - physical and psychological that I was feeling.Affirmations were an absolute mainstay in my climb from that deep, dark place. They remain a key part of my success today.When I encounter someone who is suffering from depression, anxiety, or other difficult life situations; it's not theoretical to me. I understand what they are going through. I know the struggles I had for years after that hospital visit. I know the hard work and determination it took to change my thinking and change my life. My passion is to help people who suffer from these conditions to get better and live the life they came here to live.That's why I started The Affirmation Spot. That's why I spend a couple of hours every day tweeting affirmations for people on Twitter. That's why messages of disempowerment and "you can't" being delivered by the media and mental health professionals bother me so much. I know it feels like you can't sometimes, but you can! It's not hyperbole, magic, or a scam. It's the truth. I did it and so can you!I applaud Dr. Wood and her colleagues for tackling this topic and attempting to put science behind what my experience and that of so many others clearly demonstrates.However, the study failed to grasp the process required for affirmations ("positive statements") to impact the thinking of a depressed person. Subjects were questioned about their mood during the cognitive dissonance that is always sure to occur during an attempt to shift thinking. I know this personally, as I have encountered it many times. In fact, every time I use affirmations to pursue some new goal I encounter cognitive dissonance.The research apparently took place in a single instance. Affirmations take time, repetition, belief, and commitment to impact and replace negative thinking. There is no evidence that study participants had any commitment to change their feeling of "not being lovable" by use of the affirmation. They certainly did not have time for repetition to have its effect.The measurements in this study were akin to measuring the muscle growth of someone after one workout in the gym.As someone who turned my life around using affirmations and other tools and now works to help others do the same, I can state that this research is preliminary, incomplete, and far from conclusive.My view is that the research should continue and that a methodology conducive to a true study of this question should be devised to examine the validity of these findings. I suggest the following criteria as a starting point.

1. Clinical Trial - conduct a real clinical trial using real psychological patients rather than grad students. There should be a controlled group or perhaps even a comparison against other treatment options.
2. Decision - participants should be people with a a commitment to changing their negative beliefs, thoughts, and habits. Affirmations are just wishful thinking without a decision to change. Without this commitment, neither affirmations nor most other treatment courses will work.
3. Time - affirmations are just like an exercise program. It takes time for the results to be seen. The affirmations have to be used, as with any other treatment, over a period of time and progress in mood and behavior monitored for positive change.
4. Targeted Change and Affirmations - both the thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors to be changed must be identified and affirmations specific and appropriate should be used. "I am lovable" is a nice sentiment, but a a weak affirmation to produce real change. The goals to be achieved, obviously, have to be realistic.
5. Multiple Content Types - The affirmations should be delivered audibly, verbally, and visually to account for varying learning styles. I also recommend what I call holographic affirmations - first person, second person, and named affirmations. First person affirmations are said to obtain ownership of the affirmation. Second person affirmations are used as thought replacement because the overwhelming majority of negative thoughts come into our minds as "you" statements. Name affirmations get the person's attention by using the sweetest sound in the language - their name - as a cue.
6. Reinforcemnt - progress must be reinforced to solidify the positive, empowered thinking we want to achieve. There are a lot of competitors to fill the voids of our thoughts and emotions media, family, religion, government, etc. If we are not encouraging and reinforcing the thoughts of our choosing, someone else will fill that void. That is how most people wound up being LSE in the first place. They listened to others about how they should feel and think about themselves

This study and the media feeding that has followed leaves millions of depressed people with the impression that thinking positive, empowering thoughts is not a viable solution for them. I am living proof that this is not so.The idea that these people should be left to wallow in the realism of their depressive thoughts is a sad and unwarranted message. Yes, change is hard, but change is part of human potential. To tell someone obsessed with negative thoughts that thinking better thoughts is "dangerous" or "fruitless" (as many articles about this study have) is the height of irresponsibility.I would hope that this research continues along the lines described above and that studies measuring the true efficacy of affirmations as a tool can be conducted. 20 years of my life and my interactions with many, many people tell me that such research will demonstrate that sensible positive thinking is an option and a way to the light for those suffering, as I once did.In closing, I have one simple question. Regardless of the situation you are facing in life, are you going to have better results facing it with the burden of negative thoughts or with the empowerment of positive thoughts? The answer is clear. Positive thoughts are not the enemy. Negative thoughts are the problem. We need to keep that in perspective.Stay inspired!Ray2009 Affirmation"This year I am absolutely committed to being the person I came here to be!"