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Smile

Edwin L. Battistella

in Do You Make These Mistakes in English?: The Story of Sherwin Cody's Famous Language School

Chapter 11 recounts the story of Dale Carnegie and his famous self‐confidence course, which paralleled Cody's work in some ways but also took self‐improvement in a new, personality‐based direction.

Assessing Yourself, the Performer: Achieving a Positive Mind-Set toward Performance

Stewart Gordon

in Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians

Positive self-esteem is considered an important fundamental in achieving successful performance. This chapter offers practice procedures for assessing one's level of optimism and confidence. It shows ... More

Positive self-esteem is considered an important fundamental in achieving successful performance. This chapter offers practice procedures for assessing one's level of optimism and confidence. It shows how to substitute positive thought patterns for negative ones, as well as offering specific exercises for changing one's self-perception.Less

Debating Politics and the Christian Faith

Richard Crouter

in Reinhold Niebuhr: On Politics, Religion, and Christian Faith

Chapter 6 treats Niebuhr’s mixed reception among Protestant Christians during his lifetime and today, in popular as well as academic circles. The “positive thinking” and naïve optimism of Norman ... More

Chapter 6 treats Niebuhr’s mixed reception among Protestant Christians during his lifetime and today, in popular as well as academic circles. The “positive thinking” and naïve optimism of Norman Vincent Peale and his contemporary followers are anathema to Niebuhr. Treated with indifference in the “Sojourners movement” around Jim Wallis, Niebuhr’s perspective is honored in the publication First Things. Niebuhr’s most vociferous academic critic, Duke Divinity School’s theological ethicist, Stanley Hauerwas, writes from the perspective of pacifism. This chapter responds to Hauerwas’s critique that Niebuhr’s theology is more pragmatic and naturalistic than theistic, lacks a proper sense of the church, and compromises the radicality of Jesus’s self-giving love. Chapter 6 maintains that Niebuhr is fully within the trajectory of mainstream Christian thinking and argues that Hauerwas, and similar critics, could benefit from Niebuhr’s teaching on sin, humility, and self-awareness of the Christian life. Far from capitulating to a political agenda, Niebuhr’s stress on a radically transcendent deity challenges fundamentalism and the politicized use of religion in our day.Less

The Flowering of Metaphysical Religion

Robert C. Fuller

in Spiritual, but not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America

Metaphysical spirituality has found a receptive audience among middle‐class Americans. The New Thought movement combined mesmerist psychology and the “power of positive thinking” to show Americans ... More

Metaphysical spirituality has found a receptive audience among middle‐class Americans. The New Thought movement combined mesmerist psychology and the “power of positive thinking” to show Americans how they might learn to become inwardly connected with powerful spiritual forces. Theosophy built upon this tradition and added a new vocabulary, partially drawn from Asian religions, for describing the higher spiritual worlds to which we are said to be inwardly connected. Avid interest in such topics as mysticism, altered states of consciousness, angels, and near‐death experiences have all been avenues through which Americans have pursued spiritual discovery outside of our established churches. The phenomenal popularity of James Redfield's bestseller The Celestine Prophecy illustrates how fully metaphysical spirituality has penetrated the American religious vernacular.Less

Self-Regard at the Time of Performance

Stewart Gordon

in Mastering the Art of Performance: A Primer for Musicians

This chapter returns to concepts considered in Chapter 1 in that it deals with self-esteem. It offers techniques for strengthening self-esteem on the eve of performance: delaying confrontation, ... More

This chapter returns to concepts considered in Chapter 1 in that it deals with self-esteem. It offers techniques for strengthening self-esteem on the eve of performance: delaying confrontation, replacing negative thought patterns with positive ones, taking into account the performer's basic temperament, and using internal imagery. The chapter concludes with several exercises.Less

“Wait ’Til Next Year” and the Denial of History

Mitchell Nathanson

in A People's History of Baseball

This chapter explores how the collective ethos represented by groups such as the Players Association was threatened by another American ethos, one that had more deeply entrenched roots dating back to ... More

This chapter explores how the collective ethos represented by groups such as the Players Association was threatened by another American ethos, one that had more deeply entrenched roots dating back to the nineteenth century, that itself felt threatened by the collective movement. This ethos—the individualistic, “positive thinking” movement—rejected the critical, often grim portrait of America drawn by the collectivists, and chose instead to embrace an optimistic worldview that depended upon the willful ignorance of the types of inconvenient facts often highlighted by the collectivists in their quest to bring about social change. The clash of these competing visions of American life would result in the culture wars that led a majority of Americans to turn against the civil rights and Players Association movements, and into the sunnier outlook of the positive thinkers.Less

Contradictions of Fertility Holidays

Amy Speier

in Fertility Holidays: IVF Tourism and the Reproduction of Whiteness

This chapter deconstructs the fundamental contradictions embedded within this global care chain. Czech fertility clinics are global checkout lanes for North American global bio-citizens opting to ... More

This chapter deconstructs the fundamental contradictions embedded within this global care chain. Czech fertility clinics are global checkout lanes for North American global bio-citizens opting to purchase IVF with egg donation. Yet the economic nature of these transactions are minimized by affective discourse and the intimate labor provided by Czech clinics and accommodations. This chapter considers the ways in which women’s bodies are implicated in the contradictory aspects of “fertility holiday” abroad.Less

Positive Thinking and the Cure of the Souls

Carol V. R. George

in God's Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale’s gospel of positive thinking catapulted him to fame, mainly through his 1952 book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” and contributed to the revival of ... More

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale’s gospel of positive thinking catapulted him to fame, mainly through his 1952 book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” and contributed to the revival of American religion at the time. It first considers how the overwhelming reception accorded “The Power of Positive Thinking” made Peale a “minister to millions” and how his popularity coincided with the religious revitalization effort before discussing Peale’s interpretation of New Thought. It then looks at the criticisms hurled against “The Power of Positive Thinking,” including the accusation that Pealeism represented the worst aspects of the revival of populist religion, and the role played by Peale in the religious revival of the 1950s. Finally, it describes how the Foundation for Christian Living emerged as the nerve center of Peale’s independent ministry during the decade of the 1950s.Less

Music performance anxiety

Jürg Kesselring

in Music, Motor Control and the Brain

This chapter discusses music performance anxiety (MPA). MPA may be defined as a state of arousal and anxiety occurring before or while a person is performing non-anonymously in front of an audience ... More

This chapter discusses music performance anxiety (MPA). MPA may be defined as a state of arousal and anxiety occurring before or while a person is performing non-anonymously in front of an audience producing a valuable or evaluated task touching on his/her self-esteem. Among the symptoms are palpitation, intestinal problems, tremor, difficulty concentrating, dry mouth, wet hands, difficulty with intonation, unreliable memory, increased sweating, and irregular breathing. The chapter also discusses its causes, prevalence, and treatment strategies. Cognitive-behavioural strategies are used by many musicians to cope with MPA: positive thought, visualization and distraction, muscle relaxation, deep breathing, proper nutrition and exercise.Less

The Smiling Preacher: Joel Osteen and the Happy Church

Shayne Lee and Phillip Luke Sinitiere

in Holy Mavericks: Evangelical Innovators and the Spiritual Marketplace

This chapter chronicles Joel Osteen's rise to prominence and details the dynamics of his multifaceted ministry. Drawing from a career in religious telecasting and media production and a talented ... More

This chapter chronicles Joel Osteen's rise to prominence and details the dynamics of his multifaceted ministry. Drawing from a career in religious telecasting and media production and a talented ministry team composed of engaging speakers, keen managers, and talented musicians, Osteen excels at practical preaching, offering a welcoming smile and a warm Texas drawl. While he acknowledges the ups and downs of the human condition, his appeal centers around a message of self-respect and of blessed return on spiritual investment, conditioned most readily by confluences between cognitive psychology and sacred speech. From its home in Houston—in a sports-arena-turned-sacred-space—and through his books, weekly telecasts, archived sermons, podcasts, daily “e-votionals,” and monthly ministry events called “An Evening with Joel,” Osteen's message of spiritual prosperity and positive thinking appeals to millions worldwide, crossing numerous racial, ethnic, and economic boundaries.Less

Introduction

Matthew S. Hedstrom

in The Rise of Liberal Religion: Book Culture and American Spirituality in the Twentieth Century

The Introduction outlines the broad themes and arguments of the book, and provides critical background in late nineteenth-century religious publishing and liberal religious intellectual life. The ... More

The Introduction outlines the broad themes and arguments of the book, and provides critical background in late nineteenth-century religious publishing and liberal religious intellectual life. The philosophers William James and Rufus Jones articulated approaches to religion, rooted in psychology and mysticism, that formed the basis of popular religious liberalism in the twentieth century. This liberalism developed along two lines: an ethical liberalism that used religious experience as the basis for social engagement, and a laissez-faire liberalism, most often associated with mind cure or positive thinking spiritualities, that was more individualistic and success oriented. The modernization of religious publishing after World War I, and especially the rise of a distinct religious middlebrow culture, provided the critical mechanism for the popularization of liberal religious sensibilities. These twentieth-century developments grew out of a nineteenth-century foundation in religious publishing and reading, and the broader engagement of American Protestantism with consumer capitalism.Less

From Hope to Alienation: North Americans Enter the Baby Business

Amy Speier

in Fertility Holidays: IVF Tourism and the Reproduction of Whiteness

This chapter introduces North Americans and describes their reactions to being diagnosed with infertility and the culturally meaningful ways they respond. Often, their responses are contradictory. ... More

This chapter introduces North Americans and describes their reactions to being diagnosed with infertility and the culturally meaningful ways they respond. Often, their responses are contradictory. There are particular stages of treatment using reproductive technologies, and the chapter then traces these patients’ movement through the “baby business” in the United States. Ultimately, the chapter ends with their alienation and disillusionment with overpriced treatment options.Less

Healing the Self to Heal the World

Monica M. Emerich

in The Gospel of Sustainability: Media, Market, and LOHAS

This chapter examines how LOHAS salvages its “New Age” focus on self-development or actualization. It examines the Mind Cure, New Thought, and New Age movements in terms of their relationship to ... More

This chapter examines how LOHAS salvages its “New Age” focus on self-development or actualization. It examines the Mind Cure, New Thought, and New Age movements in terms of their relationship to capitalism to show how LOHAS extends and expands these movements through the LOHAS category of Personal Development (also referred to as the Mind/Body/Spirit market). In Personal Development goods and services, physical and spiritual self-healing reflects a moral pragmatism by linking self-healing work with that of healing the world. Threaded through the LOHAS discourse is a popular American theme—the power of positive thinking—and this healing modality is put to use in so-called the quantum spiritualities, the latest incarnation of the American therapeutic tradition. The end of the chapter shows how the LOHAS texts use examples of healed selves as testimonials to show that it is indeed possible for individuals to transform themselves to social warriors.Less

The Third Disestablishment

Carol V. R. George

in God's Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale’s personal ministry grew during the time of what is known as the “third disestablishment” of Protestantism. From 1960 until his 1984 retirement from ... More

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale’s personal ministry grew during the time of what is known as the “third disestablishment” of Protestantism. From 1960 until his 1984 retirement from Marble Collegiate Church, Peale focused primarily on enlarging the ministry of the Foundation for Christian Living. His hybrid message of conservative politics and harmonial New Thought theology was ideally positioned to win supporters on the New Age left and the evangelical right. The chapter first considers Peale’s crisis theology and how he integrated his concept of positive thinking with holistic medicine before discussing his self-appointed ministry to America’s businessmen, his work as “God’s Salesman,” his message of practical Christianity, what he thought of the clergy, and his life after retiring from Marble Church.Less

“More Than a Magazine”: The Guideposts Story

Carol V. R. George

in God's Salesman: Norman Vincent Peale and the Power of Positive Thinking

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale disseminated his gospel using the “Guideposts” magazine, which used the motto, “More than a magazine.” Founded in 1944 by Peale, “Guideposts” gave ... More

This chapter examines how Norman Vincent Peale disseminated his gospel using the “Guideposts” magazine, which used the motto, “More than a magazine.” Founded in 1944 by Peale, “Guideposts” gave Pealeism a public identity that was easily understood. Politically, early “Guideposts” found a home for the potentially antinomian message of positive thinking within Cold War conservatism. Its editorial philosophy reflected Peale’s civic and religious priorities, best summarized as the ideas of Americanism, free enterprise, and practical Christianity. The chapter shows how “Guideposts” emerged from Peale’s practical Christianity and political conservatism and how it fared in the 1940s. It also discusses the strategies adopted by Peale to build a new image for “Guideposts” and concludes by explaining how the magazine evolved from a political broadside of the Cold War to achieve a more enduring cultural status along the lines of “The Reader’s Digest” and “National Geographic.”Less