SELF-HELP EXERCISES Processes exam

SELF-HELP EXERCISES
Processes examined in this chapter are present in different guises in many published programs for self-help or self-improvement. Although such published programs for self-help or self-improvement. Although such programs may contain valuable insights and recommendations, evidence about their impact is extremely limited. “More than 95% of self-help books are published without any research documenting their effectiveness” (Norcross et al., 2000, p. 3) However, some researchers have recently focused on particular judgments and activities, comparing those in experimental setting against each other or against control conditions.
For example, Emmons and McCullough (2003) experimentally compared the impact on students of writing down each day for a fortnight “up to five things in your life that you are grateful or thankful for” (p. 379; Study 2). They found that grateful thinking n that regular basis led to significantly more positive affect during the fortnight than for students who focused on their daily hassles. That difference was also observed (Study 3) in neuromuscular patients against a no-activity control group across 3 weeks; in addition, the experimental (gratitude) group exhibited within the period significantly greater life satisfaction than the controls.