"I CAN I WILL" (FREDERICK G. ELIAS).   Term Paper ID:25027 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Critical review of self-help work based on action, self-empowerment, confidence, desire for success.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Critical review of self-help work based on action, self-empowerment, confidence, desire for success. Paper Introduction: The purpose of this research is to examine I Can I Will by Frederick G. Elias. The plan of the research will be to set forth the pattern of ideas in the book and then to discuss how the ideas are developed and how they build to a prescription for seizing and maintaining control of life experience. IC is a book that must be classified as a self-help manual with an orientation toward both material and psychological success. Indeed, it is not too much to say that the overriding objective of the book is to formulate a plan for what could be called self-actualization. That is because of the action orientation of the text, which offers specific advice about how to achieve personal power and to apply the feelings of power to the project of achieving specific goals. Elias frames this advice in terms of imputing creativity and potential to the reader with a vie Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Of course, there are barriers to change from the outsidethat exploit negative preconceptions and internal conceptualizations.Accordingly, Elias looks at ways of succeeding with people and gettingappropriate results. Alsodiscussed are the benefits of deep-relaxing techniques such asvisualization are discussed as a method of holding and exploring theeffects on consciousness of certain mental images. The first step for Elias is to explain his conception of a success-oriented world view that in essence is developed from a critique of anopposite world view. One method that IC uses to zero in on areas needing self-improvementis a series of exercises interspersed throughout the book that are meant tohelp deal with problem people, reconfigure speech patterns (e.g., from you-language to I-language) to reconfigure self-image and to provide assertive,action-oriented, positive responses that communicate control, purpose, andwill power. That deliberate action isitself an exercise in personal empowerment. Thetone of presentation is unremittingly one of encouragement and confidence:"You can lift yourself out of a meaningless life and create thebreakthrough you deserve. What is required of Elias's reader is thecourage to take action on the benefits of self-confidence and empowermentthat he describes, and more, to act or behave in ways that are consistentwith reshaped internal attitudes, while also using specific techniques for"creating optimistic affirmations and positive self-statements" (161) thatmay actually foster such attitudes. The former inhibitscommunication and self-expression, while the latter tends to encourageaction. I Can I Will: Dynamics for Personal Success. Indeed, the emphasis throughout is on recognizingand acting on opportunities for empowerment as a consequence of anunderstanding of what a success-oriented world view is. The idea is tofacilitate hopes configured as dreams, which are meant to be reconfiguredas desires and as action to make emotionally satisfying dreams of successcome true. Indeed, it isnot too much to say that the overriding objective of the book is toformulate a plan for what could be called self-actualization. The kind ofactivity associated with setting goals, writing down the difference betweenpositive and negative self-talk (13 -1), and practicing habits designed toresult in the effective management of "mental, emotional, physical,financial, and spiritual life" (131) can be interpreted as a distractionfrom habits that may inform the initial impulse to purchase IC. Once the tone of the book has been established, Elias presents ahighly practical and fairly specific methodology for bridging the gapbetween the conception and execution of success. Inparticular, he takes note of barriers to success. That is,this activity is meant to engage the individual with himself or herself inways that foster self-knowledge and the potential to actualize self-esteemand self-confidence rather than persist in the rut of self-loathing andsameness of experience that Elias persistently and programmaticallyconnects with a sense of a failed and meaningless life that seems topervade so many individuals in modern culture. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ODC Publishing, 1992. Works CitedElias, Frederick G. The idea is to set specific and realistic goals and discoverspecific and realistic communication guidelines for developing self-esteem,self-confidence, and self-respect, as well as a sense of personal power--and to do all of this within a specific time line (111-115). The strategies that Elias employs to get from a general conception ofa success-oriented world view to a practical understanding of what isrequired to transform one's experience of the world into success-orientedterms begin with a reformulation of internal and external vocabulary and tosuperimpose that vocabulary on a habit of mind and action. There is no evidence that you will fail" (Elias 36). Or, or as he putsit: "Waiting for the right condition to arrive is like sitting in your carand wishing for it to start without turning the key" (132). In a key discussion of so-called toxic relationships, Elias encourages positive interpersonal andleadership skills that allow the individual to say no to unreasonabledemands and win more respect in the process, and even to say no tounreasonable or unhealthy relationships altogether. There is no doubt that IC is a program and a rationale for radicallife change, not only of habits of behavior but also and more significantlyfor of habits of belief and mind. In a chapter on barriers to success, Elias points out the personalculpability individuals have in finding ways not to act on their dreams. He uses anecdotes from his own life and from the lifeexperiences of others. The overarching technique isto develop a positive attitude, mainly by way of reformulating passivestatements of fear of failure such as "I can't do it" into active,achievement-oriented statements such as "I'll try harder, and next time Iwill accomplish what I set out to do" (92). One example, connected to the ineffective managementof internal and external anger, is the difference between the negativeformulation "Don't interrupt me!" to what Elias says is the more positive"Please allow me to finish my statement without interrupting me" (125). when negativethoughts of failure dominate consciousness. Specifically, Elias urgesthe reader not to wait for something good to happen but instead to becomeactive and at least try to make something good happen. Once the internal vocabulary hasbeen reformulated, the external vocabulary can be manipulated to as toserve the objectives of transition. Theidea in general is to develop "a positive personal reality [that] willcreate a balanced, productive and fulfilling lifestyle" (141). IC is a book that must be classified as a self-help manual with anorientation toward both material and psychological success. The first barriers arelargely conceptual, mainly because many of them entirely internal andhaving to do with a personal sense of failure, guilt, or hypercriticalness.Overcoming these barriers is meant to have the effect of creating theconditions for change--first by discarding the conceptual barriers andsecond by behaving with an attitude that demonstrates these barriers havebeen discarded. His answer to this difficult obstacle is to develop manifestlypositive instead of manifestly negative behavior patterns and habits ofspeaking and thinking. He makes the case that it is no surprise whenshrinking violets cannot stay afloat in today's sink-or-swim businessenvironment, while also explaining how to strike the right balance ofassertiveness skills, recognition of how the world works, and persistencein the face of obstructions to success created by oneself or others. The purpose of this research is to examine I Can I Will by FrederickG. . That isbecause of the action orientation of the text, which offers specific adviceabout how to achieve personal power and to apply the feelings of power tothe project of achieving specific goals. It's time to start moving in the directionof your dreams. . In a chapter on overcoming barriers to growth, Eliasgoes into more detail about the self-sabotaging behavior and thoughtprocesses (not least a persistent self-loathing and guilt) that can bothcreate unrealistic expectations and crush expectations and relationshipswith others. Accordingly, "Ican't" must become "I won't," and "I can" must become "I will" (39). Elias explains whatsuccess is, what the skills for growth are, and what kinds of barriers tosuccess and growth may be encountered on the path to growth and success. In sum, Elias is arguing the benefits,not of the pursuit of happiness but of the happiness of pursuit. Elias elaborates on thoughtstopping by describing techniques for engaging with change (i.e.,overcoming barriers to change) instead of sabotaging the opportunity forpositive change by relying on the status quo. The specific technique for overcoming this tendency is thoughtstopping (82-3), or a deliberate program of saying STOP! The activity, which Elias describes asa journey, is at least as important as the achievement of whatever goalsmotivated experimentation with it. Elias. . Inparticular, they formulate experience in terms of failures and negativesrather than selecting memories of positive fulfillment. Indeed, changing the latter, by Elias'sanalysis, changes the former. Techniques for this include activelistening, or reflecting back to others what their preoccupations are whilealso making a project of watching their comportment in terms of implicitsubtexts of feeling, thinking, and wanting--all with a view toward moredirect communication and more successful transpersonal relationships. From Elias'spoint of view, the real key to success is "optimism" and a self-image andself-concept defined by optimism and active engagement with the worldrather than by pessimism and a pattern of shrinking back from engagementand action and the failure to accomplish life objectives that this patternimplies. Secondly, as Elias specifically says, thereformulation "creates a dynamic change in your life, the transition fromwhat is potential to what is actual" (39). Theeffect of this is, firstly, that it suggests the assertion of personalresponsibility for individual fate rather than an acquiescence in or fearof found conditions. In the process, Eliassays, one can also assume more responsibility for setting and achievinglife goals and enjoy more productive relationships all around. Elias frames this advice in termsof imputing creativity and potential to the reader with a view towardsuppressing feelings of powerlessness in the face of the typical humancondition. The plan of the research will be to set forth the pattern ofideas in the book and then to discuss how the ideas are developed and howthey build to a prescription for seizing and maintaining control of lifeexperience. 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