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.Taylor and Brown say: 180 James Dobson s Gospel of Self-Esteem & PsychologyThe individual who responds to negative, ambiguous,or unsupportive feedback with a positive sense of self,a belief in personal efficacy, and an optimistic sense ofthe future will, we maintain, be happier, more caring,and more productive than the individual who perceivesthis same information accurately and integrates it intohis or her view of the self, the world, and the future.Inthis sense, the capacity to develop and maintain posi-tive illusions may be thought of as a valuable humanresource to be nurtured and promoted, rather than anerror-prone processing system to be corrected.19The self-esteem, self-love industry is based on people swillingness and even desire to be deceived.After all, if onewants to feel good about himself and has not enough sup-portive evidence in his life for that, he will probably try tosupply the evidence through blaming others for his misfor-tune, attempting to excel in some way to be at least as goodas or better than others, or deceiving himself into thinkingthat he is better than he is.In fact, the apparent purpose ofTaylor s book Positive Illusions is to justify and promote self-deception because she seems to believe that self-esteem ismore important than truth.That is diametrically opposedto Jesus words, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shallmake you free (John 8:32).We think that individuals who continue to sustain theirillusions in order to enhance or maintain their self-esteem,personal control, and optimism about the future are ex-tremely unlikely to sense a need for God or His Son.If thepositive illusionists cannot or will not face the truth aboutthemselves, it is unlikely that they will face the truth abouttheir deceitful hearts and thus they will be most unlikely tosee a need for God.Such individuals are hiding beneath their positive illu-sions and will generally see no need for a Savior.Why shouldthey? Exaggerated positive illusions that sustain self-esteem,a false sense of personal control and an unrealistic optimism Truth or Self-Deception? 181about the future leave little room for the cross.That was thePharisees problem.As Jesus said, only those who think theyare sick go to the physician.Professing Christians who con-tinue in their creative self-deceptions are less likely to walkwith Him.There are those who think that it is necessary to havegood self-esteem to be able to believe that God loves them.But that reveals a kind of theology that puts the reason forGod s love in the person being lovable or having some good-ness, rather than in the greatness of God s mercy, love, andgrace.On the other hand, those who are more balanced inself-perceptions, have realistic perceptions of personal con-trol and balanced assessments of their future circum-stances, and are depressed as a result do seem ripe for theGospel.By revealing truth, the Holy Spirit convicts of sinand manifests Christ.He does not bring sinners to faiththrough self-deception!Those individuals who know Christ as Savior but con-tinue to be depressed are in need of sound biblical teachingabout God s love, not unsound secular teaching about self-esteem.When they truly know self, circumstances and thefuture there may be much to be depressed about.But, whenthey come to believe God sent His Son to cover this uglyreality, there is reason to rejoice.A person who lives underself-deceptive illusions may have a greater opportunity forworldly success, but he is a less likely candidate for God sdear Son or the initial and continuing work of the Holy Spirit.Some of Dobson s main emotional appeals are his vividdescriptions of children with low self-esteem.Dobson says, I think you would be wise folks to start talking about infe-riority with your three-year-old. 20 He also says, A littlechild is born with an irrepressible inclination to questionhis own worth. 21 Dobson believes that people may not re-member when their self-doubt began because it originatedduring your earliest days of conscious existence. 22 Hecontends that from that early inborn self-doubt, It is notuncommon for a pre-kindergartener to have concluded 182 James Dobson s Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychologyalready that he is terribly ugly, incredibly dumb, unloved,unneeded, foolish or strange. 23 Then he says, These earlyfeelings of inadequacy.lurk just below the conscious mindand are never far from awareness. 24Once more Dobson is wrong.His conclusions about lowself-esteem in children have no biblical support and arecontradicted by the research.Taylor, in her book PositiveIllusions, gives much research to support the idea that posi-tive illusions and self-esteem begin early in life and may bepart of the fabric of being human.She says:Mild positive illusions appear to be characteristic ofthe majority of people under a broad array of circum-stances.The evidence from studies with childrensuggests that positive illusions may actually be wiredin, inherent in how the mind processes and ascribesmeaning to information.The fact that positive illusionsare typically so much stronger in children than in adultsargues against the idea that they are learned adapta-tions to life.25Taylor is not concerned about raising young children sself-esteem by using positive illusions, because they arealready adept at that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.Taylor and Brown say: 180 James Dobson s Gospel of Self-Esteem & PsychologyThe individual who responds to negative, ambiguous,or unsupportive feedback with a positive sense of self,a belief in personal efficacy, and an optimistic sense ofthe future will, we maintain, be happier, more caring,and more productive than the individual who perceivesthis same information accurately and integrates it intohis or her view of the self, the world, and the future.Inthis sense, the capacity to develop and maintain posi-tive illusions may be thought of as a valuable humanresource to be nurtured and promoted, rather than anerror-prone processing system to be corrected.19The self-esteem, self-love industry is based on people swillingness and even desire to be deceived.After all, if onewants to feel good about himself and has not enough sup-portive evidence in his life for that, he will probably try tosupply the evidence through blaming others for his misfor-tune, attempting to excel in some way to be at least as goodas or better than others, or deceiving himself into thinkingthat he is better than he is.In fact, the apparent purpose ofTaylor s book Positive Illusions is to justify and promote self-deception because she seems to believe that self-esteem ismore important than truth.That is diametrically opposedto Jesus words, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shallmake you free (John 8:32).We think that individuals who continue to sustain theirillusions in order to enhance or maintain their self-esteem,personal control, and optimism about the future are ex-tremely unlikely to sense a need for God or His Son.If thepositive illusionists cannot or will not face the truth aboutthemselves, it is unlikely that they will face the truth abouttheir deceitful hearts and thus they will be most unlikely tosee a need for God.Such individuals are hiding beneath their positive illu-sions and will generally see no need for a Savior.Why shouldthey? Exaggerated positive illusions that sustain self-esteem,a false sense of personal control and an unrealistic optimism Truth or Self-Deception? 181about the future leave little room for the cross.That was thePharisees problem.As Jesus said, only those who think theyare sick go to the physician.Professing Christians who con-tinue in their creative self-deceptions are less likely to walkwith Him.There are those who think that it is necessary to havegood self-esteem to be able to believe that God loves them.But that reveals a kind of theology that puts the reason forGod s love in the person being lovable or having some good-ness, rather than in the greatness of God s mercy, love, andgrace.On the other hand, those who are more balanced inself-perceptions, have realistic perceptions of personal con-trol and balanced assessments of their future circum-stances, and are depressed as a result do seem ripe for theGospel.By revealing truth, the Holy Spirit convicts of sinand manifests Christ.He does not bring sinners to faiththrough self-deception!Those individuals who know Christ as Savior but con-tinue to be depressed are in need of sound biblical teachingabout God s love, not unsound secular teaching about self-esteem.When they truly know self, circumstances and thefuture there may be much to be depressed about.But, whenthey come to believe God sent His Son to cover this uglyreality, there is reason to rejoice.A person who lives underself-deceptive illusions may have a greater opportunity forworldly success, but he is a less likely candidate for God sdear Son or the initial and continuing work of the Holy Spirit.Some of Dobson s main emotional appeals are his vividdescriptions of children with low self-esteem.Dobson says, I think you would be wise folks to start talking about infe-riority with your three-year-old. 20 He also says, A littlechild is born with an irrepressible inclination to questionhis own worth. 21 Dobson believes that people may not re-member when their self-doubt began because it originatedduring your earliest days of conscious existence. 22 Hecontends that from that early inborn self-doubt, It is notuncommon for a pre-kindergartener to have concluded 182 James Dobson s Gospel of Self-Esteem & Psychologyalready that he is terribly ugly, incredibly dumb, unloved,unneeded, foolish or strange. 23 Then he says, These earlyfeelings of inadequacy.lurk just below the conscious mindand are never far from awareness. 24Once more Dobson is wrong.His conclusions about lowself-esteem in children have no biblical support and arecontradicted by the research.Taylor, in her book PositiveIllusions, gives much research to support the idea that posi-tive illusions and self-esteem begin early in life and may bepart of the fabric of being human.She says:Mild positive illusions appear to be characteristic ofthe majority of people under a broad array of circum-stances.The evidence from studies with childrensuggests that positive illusions may actually be wiredin, inherent in how the mind processes and ascribesmeaning to information.The fact that positive illusionsare typically so much stronger in children than in adultsargues against the idea that they are learned adapta-tions to life.25Taylor is not concerned about raising young children sself-esteem by using positive illusions, because they arealready adept at that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]