The Power of Positive Thinking Happiness," published in 1950, and "Inspiring Messages for Daily Living", published in 1955. "The Power of Positive Thinking" appeared at a time when Christian church attendance was drastically increasing, national views of spirituality, individuality, and religion were shifting, and the Cold War was a growing concern for many Americans. These factors, as well as Peale's growing popularity as a motivational public figure and the book's clear prose, propelled "The Power of Positive Thinking" into a self-help book still popular today. Peale begins by stating ten rules for “overcoming inadequacy attitudes and learning to practice faith”. The rules include the following:
The Power of Positive Thinking also condemned Peale's methods in his book, "Authentic Happiness". He writes that, “positive thinking often involves trying to believe upbeat statements such as 'Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better,' in the absence of evidence, or even in the face of contrary evidence.” Seligman continues his critique saying, “if you can manage the feat of actually believing these sorts of statements, more power to you. Many educated people, trained in skeptical thinking, cannot manage this kind of boosterism.” Similarly, Donald Meyer, in his book "The Positive Thinkers", critiques the effectiveness of Peale's techniques saying that Peale always