Invoking the shadow by positive confession

Now, this seems to confirm what I guess at least some of us have tended to suspect about those positive affirmation mantras. The report is here: The Problem With Self-help Books: The Negative Side To Positive Self-statements. Certainly my skepticism has been evoked by seeing affirmations which were just so dissonant with perceived reality that the attempt to repeat it would simply draw a reaction of frank disbelief. The research, interpreted, seems to suggest "unreasonably positive self-statements, such as 'I accept myself completely,' can provoke contradictory thoughts in individuals with low self-esteem. Such negative thoughts can overwhelm the positive thoughts." That's what I mean, of course! My guess it could work the other way round too. I would guess that positive affirmation is only really going to work where it is plausible or credible to the 'affirmee'.

The other thing to bear in mind in this respect is that there are some Christian teachers who recommend similar techniques for spiritual growth. Positive confession is what it's called, often. I would argue that it is likely to suffer the same difficulty: it will be helpful with those who are well-disposed to believe the particular thing affirmed, but otherwise may actually make matters worse. In pastoral practice, I have seen both scenarios. This calls for discernment; it's no panacea. I'm concerned that uncritical and dogmatic use of such tools may end up also blaming the victim in the sense that those who are least able to make good use of them are blamed with moral failure or bad faith if it doesn't help them when what is needed to help is to start further back and to go slowly and if necessary give the person support, counsel and/or time to grow differently or slowly.

Now this is not to discount the operation of the Spirit, but it is to help us to recognise how the Spirit might work with different people, respecting their history and personhood. It may help us to look for the Spirit's activity in different ways and places with different people and not to expect a one-size -fits-all thing to occur.