Self Help
(Photo Credit: Jessamyn West) The aim of this section of the website is to explore the long, fascinating and often misappropriated relationship between psychology and self help. Given the importance of mind and behavior within the study and practice of psychology, the discipline has always provided an obvious framework for imparting knowledge and advice in relation to human self-improvement. Self help by definition has an intuitive appeal, I mean who wouldn't want to be: And according to the following statements, the great news is that you can be all of these things. There is absolutely no limit if you follow this new method to success! There's no secret about this method! Today thousands of ordinary men and women are using this method to bring them wealth, power, happiness. Results are astounding. Utilize the power of your subconscious mind to help you overcome obstacles and succeed in whatever you want to accomplish. Here is the secret of what women call intuition, religious leaders call revelation, gamblers call hunch, top executives call personal magnetism. I'm sure you've come across exciting claims like this before. And I'm equally sure that's also the case for your parents, grandparents and even great grandparents because the claims above come from magazines published in 1923 and 1953 respectively. Can Psychology Really Help In a word yes, but the problem is being able to identify and draw upon reliable techniques which stand up to rigorous scientific enquiry among a sea of commercially driven mind myths perpetuated by the self-help industry. Thankfully, help is at hand in this quest for guidance in the form of professor Richard Wiseman (Britan's only professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology). Professor Wiseman notes: "Both the public and business world have bought into modern-day mind myths for years and, in so doing, may have decreased the likelihood of achieving their aims and ambitions. Worst still, such failures often encourage people to believe that they cannot control their lives. This is especially unfortunate, as even the smallest loss of perceived control can have dramatic effects on people's confidence, happiness and lifespan." In response to this Professor Wiseman spent months scrutinising research journals from various areas of psychology relating to techniques designed to quickly help individuals achieve their aims and ambitions. "I collected together hundreds of these studies...From mood to memory, persuasion to procrastination, resilience to realtionships, together they represent a new science of rapid change." Professor Wiseman published the results of this quest in his book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot Practical Psychology ArticlesAs part of a wider initiative to make important, insightful and engaging public domain works freely available, I've managed to get hold of a series of classic "self-help" articles that you will be able to access form here. They all make for an absorbing read but please bear in mind, as stated in the terms and conditions of use page, that none of the information included on the All About Psychology website should be considered a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The first set of articles I'll be making available were written by James J walsh, M.D., Ph.D. Originally published in 1923 they were described as "The Most Fascinating Psychological Series Ever Published." Just in case that's not enough to get you interested, what follows is taken from the official introduction to this series. As a physician I have always been inclined to think that whenever anybody dies of typhoid fever, somebody ought to be hanged, because there has been criminal negligence somewhere, some one has permitted contaminating materials from a typhoid patient to get into the food of drink of a healthy person. Banish Fear and Ignorance It is the same sort of crime for human beings to allow their efforts to be palsied by dread of failure. It is criminal to allow the initiative to be hampered by lack of confidence; to restrict the display of energies just because of a lack of self understanding. This can be prevented by realizing that what one individual can do, others can do, and that the only reason for failure is lack of knowledge of personal powers and neglect to use them. "But how may I acquire this knowledge?" you may ask. The answer is simple through psychology. And what is psychology? Psyche is a Greek word, meaning "mind," and logia is another, meaning "knowledge."Psychology - frequently misunderstood and generally cloaked in long, mysterious words - is simply knowledge of the mind. One of our newest sciences, it has a more intimate personal appeal and offers a wider application in practical usefulness to you and to me that almost any other science, old or new. It brings us knowledge of our own minds - the way in which they work, their powers, capabilities, possibilities, and shortcomings. And, what is more important, it shows us how to make practical use of this knowledge - how to find greater happiness, health, and power through our hidden mental resources. Why Men Fail A great many men fail in life, not because they lack talent, but because they fail to employ their minds properly; because they do not realize or use the qualities they possess. When critical emergencies arise, men often prove to have hidden genius for leadership and unsuspected power of accomplishment. Every Task A Test Every task in our daily lives affords an opportunity to do something a little better than we ever have done it before, or to do it in a new way. We succeed or we fail according to whether or not we know our own mental powers and how to use them. Of 10 men who crouch at the starting line in a foot race, only one can win, though they all have had equal training and practice running. The winner possess natural advantages in speed and stamina that training and practice will not supply to the others. But through training ar practice, through developing the best there is in them, all 10 probably Have learned to run faster than any of those who watch the race from the grandstand. So it is with psychology. Learning to draw on the hidden powers of your mind and to put them to use may not enable you always to outstrip those with superior mental gifts But undoubtedly it will Give you a tremendous advantage over those who merely sit by idly, unconscious of the well spring of power that is within themselves. Psychology is The Key The aim, then, of practical psychology, or the knowledge of yourself as applied to yourself, is to enable you to bring out and use what is best in you. An understanding of it may mean the difference between success or failure in your life. Psychology is the key that will open the door to the wondrous storehouse of hidden powers contained in your mind, and in the series of articles that I am about to begin I shall endeavor to put that key in your hands.
You can access the first article in the series via the following link.
THE REST OF THE SERIES IN FULL MORE JAMES J WALSH ARTICLES Go From Self Help Psychology Back To The Home Page
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; which I strongly advise you get hold and read from cover to cover before investing your time and money in the latest self-help product, program or seminar series. 
