 | |
| Author | Wayne Dyer |
|---|---|
| Subject | Psychology |
Publication date | 1976 |
| ISBN | 0-308-10228-2 |
Your Erroneous Zones is the first self-help book written by Wayne Dyer and first issued by Funk & Wagnalls publishers in April 1976. [1]
It is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold. [2] The book spent 64 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list through November 13, 1977, [3] including a spot at number one on the week of May 8, 1977. [4]
Chapter I. Taking Charge of Yourself.
In this Chapter Dyer takes note of the brevity of life. He asserts that feelings are reactions you choose to have. He points out that learning not to be unhappy is a tough assignment as habits can only be changed by patience and persistence. Choice is our great power. He introduces for the first time the concept of immobilisation and gives a checklist of instances. Living in the present moment (a habit) is all important. [5]
Chapter II. Self Love.
The sub heading of this Chapter gives a basic idea/attitude upon which the whole of this books message depends, our personal habitual feeling of self worth. "Love yourself, a lot". For effective living Dyer asserts that "Self love is (must become) a given". "Under no circumstances is self hate better than Self Love" [6]
Chapter III. You Do Not Need Their Approval
In this Chapter Dyer gives "Historical precedents for Approval seeking" and notes the "profusion of cultural approval seeking messages". Early Childhood, School, the Church, the Government, Popular Songs, Television Commercials are all dealt with. Dyer uses the phrase "Coaxing Approval Seeking down the stairs a step at a time" to describe the change in habit needed for us to more effectively deal with the hindrance of approval seeking. [7]
Chapter IV Breaking Free From the Past.
In the sub heading of this chapter Dyer uses a phrase which gives the main thrust of the Chapter. "You are what you choose today, not what you have chosen before". He gives a list of 35 negative "I'ms" e.g. "I'm poor at Mathematics". The Chapter continues with "How Those "I'ms got started". Another constant thread through this chapter and the rest of the book are the Neurotic Dividends of Erroneous Zones. The "I'm" circle of thought is illustrated. Strategies to rid oneself of this ineffective behaviour are listed, including eliminating one I'm for one day. Final thoughts highlight the great benefit of continuous learning and the only good I'm is "I'm - an I'm exorcist -and I like it".
Chapter V. The Useless Emotions- Guilt and Worry.
These emotions are classified as "useless" by Dyer. Dyer places them on a continuum. Guilt is useless in regard to changing past events, worry useless in regard to the outcome of future events. Dyer states that worrying which "immobilizes" us in the present is not to be confused with careful planning which is a rational and effective thing to do. The sources of our guilt and worry habits Dyer lists and they are similar in both cases. Parents, spouses, children, school, Church, eating, sex. As in other chapters Dyer list the pay offs for choosing these emotions. Strategies for eliminating these damaging emotions are given. Finally the critical worth of "present moment" living is restated as being the key to becoming more effective with regard to guilt and worry.
Chapter VI. Exploring the Unknown.
Dyer begins by noting how our early training makes us "safety experts", a big loss, as the mysterious is the source of all growth and excitement. Dyer urges us to create habits of openness to new experiences, avoiding rigidity, prejudice and "always having a plan". He then considers one of the constant and central themes of the whole book "Security: Internal and External Varieties". Fear of failure is next considered and the benefit of the effective habit of an internal sense of self worth is highlighted. As in other chapters Dyer list typical examples of this particular erroneous zone, supposed Psychological benefits and strategies to overcome it. Finally the great benefit to Humanity of the explorers and inventors is noted. An appropriate quote From Robert Frost is given.
Psychotherapist Albert Ellis writes that Dyer's book Your Erroneous Zones is probably "the worst example" of plagiarism of Ellis's Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT). [8] In a 1985 letter to Dyer, Ellis claims that Dyer had participated in a workshop Ellis gave on REBT before Dyer published his book, in which Dyer appeared to understand REBT very well. Wayne Dyer probably had a fundamental understanding before continuing to explore this idea. Ellis adds that "300 or more people have voluntarily told me... that [the book] was clearly derived from REBT." Dyer never apologized or expressed any sense of wrongdoing. Ellis admonishes Dyer for unethically and unprofessionally not giving Ellis credit as the book's primary source, but expressed overall gratitude for Dyer's work, writing: "Your Erroneous Zones is a good book, ... it has helped a great number of people, and ... it outlines the main principles of REBT quite well,... with great simplicity and clarity." [9]
Dyer's book Your Erroneous Zones makes a minor mention of Albert Ellis on page 148.
Guilt is a moral emotion that occurs when a person believes or realizes—accurately or not—that they have compromised their own standards of conduct or have violated universal moral standards and bear significant responsibility for that violation. Guilt is closely related to the concepts of remorse, regret, and shame.
Albert Ellis was an American psychologist and psychotherapist who founded rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). He held MA and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University, and was certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded, and was the President of, the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute. He is generally considered to be one of the originators of the cognitive revolutionary paradigm shift in psychotherapy and an early proponent and developer of cognitive-behavioral therapies.
Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a set of rules that aim to develop such behavior. Such enforcement is sometimes based on punishment, although there is a clear difference between the two. One way to convey such differences is through the root meaning of each word: discipline means “to teach”, while punishment means “to correct or cause pain”. While punishment might extinguish unwanted behavior in the moment, it is greatly effective long-term due to consequences being understood and societal retribution to wrongs committed, while discipline usually is the process of training self control.
The Art of Happiness is a book by the 14th Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, a psychiatrist who posed questions to the Dalai Lama. Cutler quotes the Dalai Lama at length, providing context and describing some details of the settings in which the interviews took place, as well as adding his own reflections on issues raised.
A cognitive distortion is a thought that causes a person to perceive reality inaccurately due to being exaggerated or irrational. Cognitive distortions are involved in the onset or perpetuation of psychopathological states, such as depression and anxiety.
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), previously called rational therapy and rational emotive therapy, is an active-directive, philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy, the aim of which is to resolve emotional and behavioral problems and disturbances and to help people to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.
Low frustration tolerance (LFT), or "short-term hedonism," is a concept utilized to describe the inability to tolerate unpleasant feelings or stressful situations. It stems from the feeling that reality should be as wished, and that any frustration should be resolved quickly and easily. People with low frustration tolerance experience emotional disturbance when frustrations are not quickly resolved. Behaviors are then directed towards avoiding frustrating events which, paradoxically, leads to increased frustration and even greater mental stress.
Cognitive restructuring (CR) is a psychotherapeutic process of learning to identify and dispute irrational or maladaptive thoughts known as cognitive distortions, such as all-or-nothing thinking (splitting), magical thinking, overgeneralization, magnification, and emotional reasoning, which are commonly associated with many mental health disorders. CR employs many strategies, such as Socratic questioning, thought recording, and guided imagery, and is used in many types of therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT). A number of studies demonstrate considerable efficacy in using CR-based therapies.
Wayne Walter Dyer was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. Dyer earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Psychology and an Ed.D. in Guidance and Counseling at Wayne State University in 1970. Early in his career, he worked as a high school guidance counselor, and went on to run a successful private therapy practice. He became a popular professor of counselor education at St. John's University, where he was approached by a literary agent to put his ideas into book form. The result was his first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold. This launched Dyer's career as a motivational speaker and self-help author, during which he published 20 more best-selling books and produced a number of popular specials for PBS. Influenced by thinkers such as Abraham Maslow and Albert Ellis, Dyer's early work focused on psychological themes such as motivation, self actualization and assertiveness. By the 1990s, the focus of his work had shifted to spirituality. Inspired by Swami Muktananda and New Thought, he promoted themes such as the "power of intention," collaborated with alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra on a number of projects, and was a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“Emotional expressions”, also called “emotives” are an effort by the speaker to offer an interpretation of something that is observable to no other actor. If emotions are feelings, emotives are the expressions of those feelings through the use of language, specifically through constructions that explicitly describe emotional states or attitudes..
Cognitive therapy (CT) is a type of psychotherapy developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. CT is one therapeutic approach within the larger group of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) and was first expounded by Beck in the 1960s. Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model, which states that thoughts, feelings and behavior are all connected, and that individuals can move toward overcoming difficulties and meeting their goals by identifying and changing unhelpful or inaccurate thinking, problematic behavior, and distressing emotional responses. This involves the individual working with the therapist to develop skills for testing and changing beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors. A cognitive case conceptualization is developed by the cognitive therapist as a guide to understand the individual's internal reality, select appropriate interventions and identify areas of distress.
Self-acceptance is acceptance of self.
SMART Recovery is an international community of peer support groups that help people recover from addictive and problematic behaviors, using a self-empowering and evidence-informed program. SMART stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training. The SMART approach is secular and research-based. SMART has a global reach with a presence established in more than 30 countries. SMART Recovery is effective with a range of addictive and problematic behaviors.
The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living is a 1952 self-help book by American minister Norman Vincent Peale. It provides anecdotal "case histories" of positive thinking using a biblical approach, and practical instructions which were designed to help the reader achieve a permanent and optimistic attitude. These techniques usually involved affirmations and visualizations. Peale claimed that such techniques would give the reader a higher satisfaction and quality of life. The book was negatively reviewed by scholars and health experts, but was popular among the general public and has sold well.
In psychology, manipulation is defined as an action designed to influence or control another person, usually in an underhanded or unfair manner which facilitates one's personal aims. Methods someone may use to manipulate another person may include seduction, suggestion, coercion, and blackmail to induce submission. Manipulation is generally considered a dishonest form of social influence as it is used at the expense of others. Barring mental disabilities, humans are inherently capable of manipulative and deceptive behavior, with the main differences being of specific personality characteristics or disorders.
Logic-based therapy (LBT) is a modality of philosophical counseling developed by philosopher Elliot D. Cohen beginning in the mid-1980s. It is a philosophical variant of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), which was developed by psychologist Albert Ellis. A randomized, controlled efficacy study of LBT suggests that it may be effective in reducing anxiety.
Psychagogy, originally a spiritual concept, refers to the guidance of the soul. It is recognized as one of the antecedents and components of modern psychology. In its contemporary context, psychagogy is a psycho-therapeutic method that influences behavior by encouraging the pursuit of meaningful life goals.
Cognitive behavioral training (CBTraining), sometimes referred to as structured cognitive behavioral training, (SCBT) is an organized process that uses systematic, highly-structured tasks designed to improve cognitive functions. Functions such as working memory, decision making, and attention are thought to inform whether a person defaults to an impulsive behavior or a premeditated behavior. The aim of CBTraining is to affect a person's decision-making process and cause them to choose the premeditated behavior over the impulsive behavior in their everyday life. Through scheduled trainings that may be up to a few hours long and may be weekly or daily over a specific set of time, the goal of CBTraining is to show that focusing on repetitive, increasingly difficult cognitive tasks can transfer those skills to other cognitive processes in your brain, leading to behavioral change. There has been a recent resurgence of interest in this field with the invention of new technologies and a greater understanding of cognition in general.
Kishor Moreshwar Phadke, also known as K. M. Phadke, was an Indian psychologist, and practitioner and trainer in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). He held M.A. degree in psychology from Pune University. He is first Indian psychologist who enjoys the unique distinction of being a fellow and supervisor of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City. He is best known as a pioneer of REBT in India. Due to his distinguished contributions to REBT, Indian psychologists consigned a unique title to his therapy – Ellis-Phadke therapy. He has authored nine Marathi books, several popular articles and papers and co-authored five English books.
Ecological grief, or in particular climate grief, refers to the sense of loss that arises from experiencing or learning about environmental destruction or climate change. For example, scientists witnessing the decline of Australia's Great Barrier Reef report experiences of anxiety, hopelessness, and despair. Groups impacted heavily also include young people feeling betrayal from lack of environmental action by governments and indigenous communities losing their livelihoods.