What I Realized While Doing a Manifestation Program (Monthly Solo)

'Choosing Wholeness Over Goodness' offers a guide to self-discovery and personal liberation by challenging societal norms of 'goodness. ' Co-authors Elise Loehnen and Courtney Smith provide a framework for understanding how cultural conditioning can lead to self-repression and a disconnect from one's true self. The book introduces a process for recognizing and integrating disowned aspects of the self, drawing on concepts like Carl Jung's idea of wholeness. By embracing imperfection and challenging fear-based behaviors, readers can cultivate greater self-acceptance and authenticity. This book promotes the idea that reclaiming one's full self leads to increased energy, presence, and a more fulfilling life.

This book by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson delves into the psychological mechanisms behind self-justification, using anecdotal, historical, and scientific evidence. It explains how cognitive dissonance leads people to create fictions that absolve them of responsibility, restoring their belief in their own morality and intelligence. The authors discuss various examples, including political decisions, marital conflicts, and medical errors, to illustrate how self-justification can lead to harmful consequences. The updated edition includes new examples and an extended discussion on how to live with dissonance, learn from it, and potentially forgive oneself.

In 'Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism,' Amanda Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes in cults and cult-like groups lies in the use of language. The book delves into the verbal elements that make these communities 'cultish,' including the redefinition of words, euphemisms, and other linguistic tricks. Montell analyzes various groups such as Jonestown, Scientology, NXIVM, and even modern entities like SoulCycle and social media influencers, highlighting how these groups use language to create a sense of belonging and loyalty. The book is praised for its engaging narrative, original research, and incisive analysis of the power of language in shaping human behavior.