How Can Positive Affirmations Work?

Positive affirmations can be a benefit to personal growth, if done in the right context, thus avoiding the damaging consequences of the wrong approach, as shown in recent research.

 In my article in the National Post/Financial Post, Why Don't I Feel Better? The Truth About Positive Affirmations and Self Help Books, I cited research that showed that people engaging in simple positive affirmations can actually do more damage than good, particularly for people with self-esteem problems. This conclusion came as a result of Canadian researcher, Dr. Joanne Wood at the University of Waterloo and her colleagues at the University of New Brunswick who have recently published their research in the Journal of Psychological Science, concluded that "repeating positive self-statements may benefit certain people, such as individuals with high self-esteem, but backfire for the very people who need them the most."

The researchers suggest that, like overly positive praise, unreasonably positive self-statements, such as "I accept myself completely" can provoke contradictory thoughts in individuals in individuals with low self-esteem.  When positive self-statements strongly conflict with self-perception, the researchers argue, there is not mere resistance but a reinforcing of self-perception. People who view themselves as unlovable, for example, find that saying that are so unbelievable that it strengthens their own negative view rather than reversing it. These findings were supported by previous research published in 1994 in the Journal of Social Psychology, showing that when people get feedback that they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better.

So, can positive affirmations ever be beneficial?  I put this question to Stephanie Frank, President of Success IQ University. She has worked with thousands of people in all walks of life and work over the past two decades, helping them achieve success and happiness.

Frank said positive affirmations can be beneficial if used in the right way and in the right context.  "The heart of the problem," she said, "is that people often see the picture of what is instead of what they want, regardless of their affirmations."  So they say to themselves 'I am a millionaire,' or 'I am beautiful and worthy of loving,' rather than saying 'I am working toward being a millionaire,' or 'I am becoming beautiful and worthy of loving,' so that the affirmation is not in contradiction to how they see themselves in the present."

Frank goes on to say that these people need to change the representation of themselves in time, and focus on what they want to become which is a "moving toward" process rather than an avoidance or "moving away from" the past.

Part of the difficulty of change, says Frank, "is there is so much inherent resistance to change, and it is very difficult to do on your own." She advocates working with a professional or coach to provide the right guidance down that path.  One of the first steps in this process, says Frank, "is an examination of the person's values, and seeing whether their day to day behaviors reflect those values."  Then a plan of action can be put in place to create alignment. In that context, positive affirmations have a better chance for success.

In creating that plan of action, Frank says, many people and the those assisting them "make the mistake of focusing on the necessary changes from a logical, thinking or concrete perspective, ignoring the need to deal with the emotions and feelings that are holding them back."

Positive affirmations do have a place in making positive personal and professional changes, but only within the context of a process designed to align the person's present self-image with a desired new outcome.

Ray B. Williams is President of Ray Williams Associates, a company based in Vancouver, providing leadership training and executive coaching services. ray@raywilliamsassociates.com