The Power of Positive Thinking believe and live successfully.” Peale's work came under criticism from various mental health experts, theologians, and academics. One general criticism against Peale's book was the lack of verified sources. "The Power of Positive Thinking" includes many personal anecdotes that the reader has no way of validating. The book includes stories about “a business executive”, “a man, an alcoholic”, “a famous trapeze artist”, “a friend of [Peale’s], a midwestern businessman”, and other unnamed individuals which cannot be verified from the information Peale presents with each anecdote. R. C. Murphy, a prominent psychiatrist based out of Tacoma, Washington, addresses another criticism of
Counterfactual thinking a new wave of insight beginning in the 1990s began taking a functional perspective, believing that counterfactual thinking served as a largely beneficial behavioral regulator. Although negative affect and biases arise, the overall benefit is positive for human behavior. There are two portions to counterfactual thinking. First, there is the "activation" portion. This activation is whether we allow the counterfactual thought to seep into our conscious thought. The second portion involves "content." This content portion creates the end scenario for the antecedent. The activation portion leads into the mystery of why we allow ourselves to think of other alternatives that