Impact of positive self-talk

Abstract

x, 106 leaves ; 29 cmOn a daily basis, whether young or old, people are engaged in self-talk. Our thoughts have implications that affect our emotions, motivation and potential accomplishments. Research has shown that the majority of our self-talk is negative therefore, is working against us rather than for us (Helmstetter, 1982; Stranulis & Manning, 2002). These negative thoughts create feelings of anger, irritation, frustration, hopelessness and disappointment. The aim of this study was to teach grade one students how to rethink their negative self-talk and turn it into positive self-talk. The students engaged in a yearlong series of lessons about self-talk and learned how to identify specific negative and positive words and affirmations. At the end of the school year the students participated in a one to-one qualitative interview with the teacher/researcher to highlight new metacognitive strategies attained and implemented. Through a coding procedure, the data analysis confirmed that the students needed to learn and understand a three-level process in order to acquire positive self-talk. First, they needed to develop an awareness of the nature of self-talk, both positive and negative. Second, they needed to acquire new strategies to change negative self-talk into positive self-talk and third, they needed to implement positive self-talk into their daily interactions. This study revealed that the new strategies learned impacted the students’ abilities to successfully rethink negative statements to positive statements and to consider the value of doing so in their lives. This life-impacting skill has the potential to change perspectives, attitudes, and reactions in regard to one self, to others and to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. In this way, the study demonstrated that even very young students are in control of themselves by consciously feeding their minds with positive empowering self-talk