THE ORIGINS OF THE TRADITION OF POSITIVE THINKING

The following pages are a work in the sociology of culture. I analyze critically the first period of the so-called tradition of positive thinking, which goes from the end of the 19th century to the present positive psychology. This article follows the cultural critique (following Elias's work) of the so-called "therapeutic gospel", and its ideal of happiness as something purely psychological and cultural mandatory. The article is centered upon the first self-help books, as key to the diffusion of cultural patterns.