coueism: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
RareFormal/Academic, sometimes pejorative
Quick answer
What does “coueism” mean?
A method of psychotherapy involving optimistic autosuggestion.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A method of psychotherapy involving optimistic autosuggestion.
An exaggerated or simplistic reliance on positive thinking or autosuggestion as a cure-all, often used dismissively.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Equally rare in both variants. Slightly more likely to appear in British academic texts discussing historical psychology.
Connotations
Neutral in historical context; often pejorative in modern use, implying naive optimism.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora (<0.01 occurrences per million words).
Grammar
How to Use “coueism” in a Sentence
dismiss X as Coueismpractice of Coueismadhere to CoueismVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “coueism” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- His approach was criticised as being far too Coueistic.
American English
- She rejected the Coueistic mantra of constant affirmation.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used. Might appear in critiques of motivational business gurus.
Academic
Used in historical psychology, philosophy of mind, or critiques of popular psychology.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
Specific term in the history of psychotherapy.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “coueism”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “coueism”
- Misspelling: Couism, Coueizm. Misuse: Using it as a synonym for any positive attitude instead of a specific historical method.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Émile Coué (1857–1926), a French psychologist and pharmacist.
"Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better."
Not as a formal therapy, but its ideas permeate many modern self-help and positive psychology movements.
That it promotes an overly simplistic, potentially blame-inducing belief that all problems can be solved by positive thinking alone.
A method of psychotherapy involving optimistic autosuggestion.
Coueism is usually formal/academic, sometimes pejorative in register.
Coueism: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkuːɪz(ə)m/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkuɪˌɪzəm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better. (the classic Coueism mantra)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'COUE' sounds like 'coo' (a gentle sound) + 'ISM' (a belief). It's the gentle belief of talking yourself better.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MIND IS A GARDEN (that can be cultivated with positive seeds).
Practice
Quiz
What is the core principle of Coueism?