AFFIRMATIONS
INDEX
DEFINITION & RESEARCH
HABIT FORMATION
REFERENCES
DEFINITION & RESEARCH
An affirmation can be defined as a statement that is declared to be true (Dictionary.com, 2020). Affirmations are known to be practiced for centuries (Gonda, 1963). Repeated positive affirmations are like some mantras. Early Indian cultures like the Vedas (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE) have been known to have used repeated phrases or words in a religious context. It is suggested that they were meant to cure diseases, to cope with the uncertainties of daily life and to improve their mental well-being (Alper, 1991). Steele (1988) used the term affirmation in his self-affirmation theory. His psychological theory states that people can reduce the chance of reacting defensively or experiencing distress when exposed to something that contradicts their sense of self. This is claimed to be possible by reflecting on one’s own relevant personal values. Sherman and Hartson (2011) described the effect of self-affirmation as reminding individuals of their psychosocial resources, which makes them more resistant to threat. This is also supported by self-affirmation studies. Research shows that self-affirmations can improve participants coping mechanisms in response to stress and threat (Sherman et al., 2013; Martens, Johns, Greenberg, Schimel, 2006; Ogedegbe et al., 2012). More specifically, self-affirmation studies have shown to have a positive effect on health, academic performance, intergroup conflicts and interpersonal relationships (Cohen & Sherman, 2014). A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study by Cascio et al (2016) suggests that self-affirmations activate reward centres like the ventral striatum (VS) and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). These reward centres are also responsible for experiences like eating your favourite food or getting a reward (i.e., a present). Cascio et. al. states that affirmations might have powerful effects because these activated reward circuits are also responsible for decreasing pain or increasing coping behaviour in response to threatening events. However, it must be mentioned that studies are rare and the findings regarding affirmations have not been homogenous.
Habit
Formation
Although there are currently no studies that examine whether the one-time use of affirmations has a long-term effect on variables such as mental well-being it can be assumed that this is not the case as adjacent concepts like mindfulness emphasize the need of regular and continuous practice (Keune, & Perczel Forintos, 2010). Habits are formed through frequent repetitions of mental experiences in consistent contexts and can be described as a fixed way of feeling, thinking or willing (American Journal of Psychology, 1903). In 1960, Maltz, a plastic surgeon wrote a bestselling book called Psycho-Cybernetics with over 30 million sells (Clear, 2014). After observing his patients and himself, he discovered that it takes at least 21 days to form a new habit. For instance, it was found that it took patients, who had a leg or arm amputated, at least 21 days to dissolve an old mental image and to crystallize a new one (Maltz, 1960). A longitudinal study by Lally, Van Jaarsveld, Potts and Wardle (2010) suggested significant variations concerning the time period for habit formation. It was observed that habit formation might have a considerable variation of 18 to 254 days. Furthermore, their research suggests that missing one opportunity to carry out a behaviour does not significantly influence the process of habit formation.
