Byrne has acknowledged that “The Secret” is inspired by “The Science of Getting Rich,” a 1910 self-help book, still in print, that encouraged readers to focus their thinking on wealth. (The official “The Secret” Web page offers e-book downloads of the older tome.) While “The Secret” added elements of quantum physics, Radford said, the general theme of success or failure hinging on thought was nothing new.
“One of the interesting facets of this mentality is that it keeps reviving itself,” said Radford. “In skepticism we have what we call rubber duck syndrome. The rubber ducks at the carnival, when you push them down with a stream of water, they pop right back up.” Indeed, despite Alexis Neiers’ imprisonment and struggles with addiction, her mother still identifies with “Secret”-inflected beliefs, sharing tenets of the visualization-based New Thought movement and descriptions of “vibrational directors” on her personal Facebook page.
via From “Bling Ring” to Oprah, “The Secret” lives on – Salon.com.
