Empirical research and anecdotal experience appear to support power posing: Dec. 28, 2015 New York Times book review

Updates

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A Nov. 3, 2016 Language and Cognition article is entitled: “Power in time: The influence of power posing on metaphoric perspectives on time.”

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In 1959, Erving Goffman introduced his theory of impression management.

The concept of impression management in turn brings to mind discussions over the years regarding the concept of authenticity.

Authenticity

Two previous posts come to mind:

1) In The malaise of modernity (1992), Charles Taylor speaks of the cult of authenticity

In the latter post, I note that the concept of authenticity has been a topic that has captured the attention of many writers in previous decades.

2) “The Problem With Authenticity” – February 2015 Harvard Business Review 

In the latter post, I highlight a quotation from the above-noted article: “When we view authenticity as an unwavering sense of self, we struggle to take on new challenges and bigger roles. The reality is that people learn – and change – who they are through experience.”

Enlightenment

In the world of business, it’s a standard procedure to “fake it till you make it.”

It has been argued, as well, that the concept of “fake it till you make it” can speed up the process of getting enlightened.

Asian Religions in Practice (1999)

A good source for a narrative related to an accelerated program of enlightenment can be found in the genre of literature that Re-Enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West (2004), by way of example, exemplifies.

A good overview of the underlying principles, with regard to a fast-track approach to enlightenment, is presented (pp. 129-130) in a chapter entitled “Religions of Tibet in Practice” in Asian Religions in Practice: An Introduction (1999) (I have broken the longest text into shorter paragraphs):

“The origins of tantric Buddhism in India remain nebulous, with some scholars dating the early texts from the fourth century C.E. Its literature, including all manner of ritual texts and meditation manuals, continued to be composed in lndia for the next six centuries.

“This literature offered a speedy path to enlightenment, radically truncating the eons-long path set forth in the earlier discourses attributed to the Buddha, called sutras. To this end, the tantric literature set forth a wide range of techniques for the attainment of goals both mundane and supramundane, techniques for bringing the fantastic worlds described in the sutras into actuality.

“Tantric practices were considered so potent that they were often conducted in secret, and aspirants required initiation. The practices themselves involved elaborate and meticulous visualizations, in which the practitioner mentally transformed himself or herself into a fully enlightened buddha, with a resplendent body seated on a throne in the center of a marvelous palace (called a mandala), with speech that intoned sacred syllables (called mantras), and with a mind that saw the ultimate reality directly.”

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Presence (2015): Posing like Wonder Woman

The above-noted excerpt brings to mind a Dec. 31, 2015 article entitled: “Inside The New York Times Book Review Podcast: You, New and Improved.”

The article refers to a Dec. 28, 2015 New York Times book review of Amy Cuddy’s Presence (2015) and Shonda Rhimes’s Year of Yes (2015).

An excerpt from the above-noted review notes:

“The social psychologist Amy Cuddy was, at the very least, in the right place at the right time when she delivered her 2012 TED talk titled ‘Your Body Lan­guage Shapes Who You Are,’ perhaps bet­ ter known as ‘that YouTube video about posing like Wonder Woman.’ Her central idea was simple: By assuming a pose associated with power, you can actually make yourself feel more powerful before an important job interview or presenta­tion. Somehow, power posing inspires you to be more authentic, more passionate and more present, Cuddy asserts, thereby enabling you to demonstrate your worth.”

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