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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Positive Psychology	Carol	Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Question: Upon recommendation by a professional counselor, I joined a class/therapy group called "Transforming Your Life". When I attended the first session yesterday, the counselor explained that the class was based on a relatively new field in psychology known as "positive psychology". He explained that the human brain develops neural grooves, or pathways, in response to deep seated or habitiual negative thoughts over time. Negative thinking and irrational beliefs become so automatic that they must be replaced with new thoughts and positive emotions. Over time, the new, more helpful thoughts become automatic, or at least more accessible. I suppose that sounds plausible, but I'm concerned because of this concept's link to New Age and occult thinking. In some cursory research I've done on the internet, I've found that many psychologists claim it has absolutely nothing to do with New Age mumbo jumbo, only proven scientific principles; yet many other sites tote positive psychology is the latest, greatest thing in New Age circles. It is enthusiastically recommended by authors of The Secret and other occultist gurus. I've decided not to go back to the class because the counselor is clearly promoting New Age ideas. (He is enthralled with Oprah because she is changing the universal consciousness of the world, he recommends ancient Hawaiian clearing techniques, talks about bringing positive and negative energies to others, etc.) But what about positive psychology? Does it have any value for us as Christians? Thanks!
Question Answered by Dear Carol: Anything recommended by Oprah or Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, needs to come under close scrutiny. We cannot automatically condemn anything that these dingalings recommend since it is possible for them to stumble over some truth by accident. The Church teaches that we can agree to any grain of truth that is found in other philosophies. So, is there any grain of truth in what has been called, Positive Psychology? Before exploring that question it should be noted that claims to being "scientific" does not mean it is. Transcendental Meditation claims to be scientific, but it is nothing more than an Americanized version of Hindu meditation. Positive Psychology basically seeks to promote mental health rather than treating mental illness. This is a good goal. It is obviously better to encourage people to think in a healthy way to avoid having to "close the barn door after the horses of illness get out." Positive Psychology was summed up in 1998 by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: "We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise that achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities." The Positive Psychology website states: This field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual traits consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom... Positive psychology acknowledges a debt to humanistic psychology, which was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and has many followers to this day. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers (among others) proposed that people strive to make the most of their potential in a process called self-actualization, which can be thwarted or enabled by a variety of conditions. Humanistic psychology emphasizes the goals for which people strive, their awareness of this striving, and the importance of rational choice in this process. The term, nor the idea, was created by Martin Seligman, who started the modern movement in 1998. Abraham Maslow in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality discussed the need to encourage mental health. Many psychologists since then have focused on mental health and not just on treatment of illness. Siligman has just renewed the ideas as a new fad (which as a alleged new technique makes a lot of money). The idea, however, is much older than Maslow. The idea of mental health and positive and healthy thinking goes back to the Bible. As often happens, principles of good mental health that originate with Biblical Principles are re-worked into humanistic psychology that excludes God. Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm developed psychologies that dealt with human happiness. The only true happiness, however, and the only true mental health, comes from living the Christ-life and the Biblical Principles that seeks to help us to live that life in its fullest. The basic principle of what is called cognitive (and positive) therapy is found in 2 Corinthians 10:5b "...bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ". Happiness and mental health is ours as we submit ourselves to Christ and trust in His promises. For example, Christ promises that nothing will come into our lives that we cannot handle. We will not be tempted beyond our strength. (1 Corinthians 10:13) No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. God makes this wonderful promise that should be a cause of happiness to anyone: (Romans 8:35, 37-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The science that has been done can be useful. Much of it merely confirms what we have already known for 1000s of years. One study that I found useful is that which debunks the conventional wisdom that to talk about our trials over and over, "getting it off our chest". In reality, to talk about our hurts and troubles over and over again does not diffuse the emotional pain, it increases it. If you think about it, if you tell the sad story over and over, what happens? Are your emotions healed? No. Telling the story over and over only dredges up the same hurting emotions that were there when the even originally occurred. The emotions never have a chance to heal. We need to learn to not be mastered by the past, but to allow the past to remain in the past and get on with our life. Those sorts of scientific studies can be useful, but there is rarely any new information revealed in these studies -- only confirmation of what we already know. The Counseling approach that we use begins with Nouthetic Counseling (Biblically-based counseling). A full article about our Counseling approach is available. (Note: if you use Firefox you will have to accept the security certificate to gain access) As for specific groups using the faddish terms like "Transforming Your Life", I would be very skeptical. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Positive Psychology

Carol

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Question:

Upon recommendation by a professional counselor, I joined a class/therapy group called "Transforming Your Life". When I attended the first session yesterday, the counselor explained that the class was based on a relatively new field in psychology known as "positive psychology".

He explained that the human brain develops neural grooves, or pathways, in response to deep seated or habitiual negative thoughts over time. Negative thinking and irrational beliefs become so automatic that they must be replaced with new thoughts and positive emotions. Over time, the new, more helpful thoughts become automatic, or at least more accessible.

I suppose that sounds plausible, but I'm concerned because of this concept's link to New Age and occult thinking. In some cursory research I've done on the internet, I've found that many psychologists claim it has absolutely nothing to do with New Age mumbo jumbo, only proven scientific principles; yet many other sites tote positive psychology is the latest, greatest thing in New Age circles. It is enthusiastically recommended by authors of The Secret and other occultist gurus.

I've decided not to go back to the class because the counselor is clearly promoting New Age ideas. (He is enthralled with Oprah because she is changing the universal consciousness of the world, he recommends ancient Hawaiian clearing techniques, talks about bringing positive and negative energies to others, etc.)

But what about positive psychology? Does it have any value for us as Christians? Thanks!

Question Answered by

Dear Carol:

Anything recommended by Oprah or Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, needs to come under close scrutiny. We cannot automatically condemn anything that these dingalings recommend since it is possible for them to stumble over some truth by accident. The Church teaches that we can agree to any grain of truth that is found in other philosophies.

So, is there any grain of truth in what has been called, Positive Psychology?

Before exploring that question it should be noted that claims to being "scientific" does not mean it is. Transcendental Meditation claims to be scientific, but it is nothing more than an Americanized version of Hindu meditation.

Positive Psychology basically seeks to promote mental health rather than treating mental illness. This is a good goal. It is obviously better to encourage people to think in a healthy way to avoid having to "close the barn door after the horses of illness get out."

Positive Psychology was summed up in 1998 by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: "We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise that achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities."

The Positive Psychology website states:

This field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.

Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual traits consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom...

Positive psychology acknowledges a debt to humanistic psychology, which was popular in the 1960s and 1970s and has many followers to this day. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers (among others) proposed that people strive to make the most of their potential in a process called self-actualization, which can be thwarted or enabled by a variety of conditions. Humanistic psychology emphasizes the goals for which people strive, their awareness of this striving, and the importance of rational choice in this process.

The term, nor the idea, was created by Martin Seligman, who started the modern movement in 1998. Abraham Maslow in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality discussed the need to encourage mental health. Many psychologists since then have focused on mental health and not just on treatment of illness. Siligman has just renewed the ideas as a new fad (which as a alleged new technique makes a lot of money).

The idea, however, is much older than Maslow. The idea of mental health and positive and healthy thinking goes back to the Bible.

As often happens, principles of good mental health that originate with Biblical Principles are re-worked into humanistic psychology that excludes God. Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm developed psychologies that dealt with human happiness.

The only true happiness, however, and the only true mental health, comes from living the Christ-life and the Biblical Principles that seeks to help us to live that life in its fullest.

The basic principle of what is called cognitive (and positive) therapy is found in 2 Corinthians 10:5b "...bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ".

Happiness and mental health is ours as we submit ourselves to Christ and trust in His promises. For example, Christ promises that nothing will come into our lives that we cannot handle. We will not be tempted beyond our strength.

(1 Corinthians 10:13) No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

God makes this wonderful promise that should be a cause of happiness to anyone:

(Romans 8:35, 37-39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The science that has been done can be useful. Much of it merely confirms what we have already known for 1000s of years.

One study that I found useful is that which debunks the conventional wisdom that to talk about our trials over and over, "getting it off our chest". In reality, to talk about our hurts and troubles over and over again does not diffuse the emotional pain, it increases it.

If you think about it, if you tell the sad story over and over, what happens? Are your emotions healed? No. Telling the story over and over only dredges up the same hurting emotions that were there when the even originally occurred. The emotions never have a chance to heal. We need to learn to not be mastered by the past, but to allow the past to remain in the past and get on with our life.

Those sorts of scientific studies can be useful, but there is rarely any new information revealed in these studies -- only confirmation of what we already know.

The Counseling approach that we use begins with Nouthetic Counseling (Biblically-based counseling). A full article about our Counseling approach is available.

(Note: if you use Firefox you will have to accept the security certificate to gain access)

As for specific groups using the faddish terms like "Transforming Your Life", I would be very skeptical.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.