Positive Thinking
ENGL 1023
1 October, 2011
POSITIVE THINKING
Some people tend to see the glass as half empty or half full. What does it mean? This statement determines the tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic, and has direct interrelation on the concept of positive thinking. Just recently the emerging science of positive psychology claims that every human being has a superpower also known as power of the mind. Research has found that positive thinking not only can be considered as an aid for mental health, but also has a significant impact on overall health and well-being. The issue of positive thinking is highly debated among scientific society; in particular there are two authors who are taking a closer look at this new emerging concept of positive psychology. Jo Marchant in her article "Heal Thyself: The Power of Mind over Matter and Lisa Aspinwall G., and Richard G. Tedeschi in their article “The Value of Positive Psychology for Health Psychology: Progress and Pitfalls in Examining the Relation of Positive Phenomena to Health” talk about the healing power of positive thinking. Even though the authors discuss the same issue of positive psychology, their articles are intended for different audiences. By comparing two articles it can be said that Marchant’s article is written for a general audience and the article of Aspinwall and Tedeschi is intended for scientific society. There are two main differences between Marchant and Aspinwall and Tedeschi articles which are genre and purpose.
To begin with, by looking at two articles it can be noticed that one of the main differences between them is a genre shift. In her article Marchant uses epideictic arguments in order to appeal to the general reader’s attention. Specifically, Marchant tries to emphasize the uniqueness of her subject with enthusiasm and optimism. For instance, the author mentions optimistic phrases like "Everything 's going to be fine" and emphasizes uniqueness by saying “People who have rich social lives
1 October, 2011
POSITIVE THINKING
Some people tend to see the glass as half empty or half full. What does it mean? This statement determines the tendency to be optimistic or pessimistic, and has direct interrelation on the concept of positive thinking. Just recently the emerging science of positive psychology claims that every human being has a superpower also known as power of the mind. Research has found that positive thinking not only can be considered as an aid for mental health, but also has a significant impact on overall health and well-being. The issue of positive thinking is highly debated among scientific society; in particular there are two authors who are taking a closer look at this new emerging concept of positive psychology. Jo Marchant in her article "Heal Thyself: The Power of Mind over Matter and Lisa Aspinwall G., and Richard G. Tedeschi in their article “The Value of Positive Psychology for Health Psychology: Progress and Pitfalls in Examining the Relation of Positive Phenomena to Health” talk about the healing power of positive thinking. Even though the authors discuss the same issue of positive psychology, their articles are intended for different audiences. By comparing two articles it can be said that Marchant’s article is written for a general audience and the article of Aspinwall and Tedeschi is intended for scientific society. There are two main differences between Marchant and Aspinwall and Tedeschi articles which are genre and purpose.
To begin with, by looking at two articles it can be noticed that one of the main differences between them is a genre shift. In her article Marchant uses epideictic arguments in order to appeal to the general reader’s attention. Specifically, Marchant tries to emphasize the uniqueness of her subject with enthusiasm and optimism. For instance, the author mentions optimistic phrases like "Everything 's going to be fine" and emphasizes uniqueness by saying “People who have rich social lives
Cited: Aspinwall, Lisa G., and Richard G. Tedeschi. "The Value of Positive Psychology for Health Psychology: Progress and Pitfalls in Examining the Relation of Positive Phenomena to Health." Annals of Behavioral Medicine 39.1 (2010): 4-15. Print Marchant, Jo. "Heal Thyself: The Power of Mind over Matter - New Scientist." New Scientist 27 Aug. 2011: 33-36. Print.