New Thought and the Psychology of Religion: A Historical Perspective

Introduction

The New Thought movement, a diverse and loosely affiliated collection of religious communities, emerged in the United States in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, offering an idealistic theology, an optimistic worldview, and a focus on personal well-being, health, and material success. As the largest movement in the broader “metaphysical” tradition—alongside Christian Science, Theosophy, and Spiritualism—New Thought fundamentally reshaped how Americans understood the relationship between mind, spirit, and health. This article explores the historical development of New Thought, its key figures, organizations, and publications, and its enduring significance for the psychology of religion, a field that has both critiqued and embraced the movement’s core insights. From Phineas Quimby’s early mind-cure experiments to Emma Curtis Hopkins’s institutionalization of the movement, and from William James’s characterization of it as “the religion of healthy-mindedness” to its influence on the human potential movement, New Thought offers a rich lens into the intersection of religion, psychology, and American culture.

Historical Context

The New Thought movement arose in a period of profound intellectual and spiritual ferment in nineteenth-century America. Rooted in “universal science,” early New Thought leaders shared a Romantic interest in the relationship between metaphysics and American Christianity, alongside Transcendentalism, Christian Science, and Theosophy (History of New Thought, n.d.). The transcendentalist belief that ideal spirituality “transcends” the physical and is realized only through individual intuition, rather than through institutional religion, provided a key philosophical foundation (History of New Thought, n.d.). Additionally, the mesmerist tradition and the “Mind Cure” movement of New England contributed practical techniques of mental healing. Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) and her Church of Christ, Scientist, along with Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802–1866) and his students, were immediate precursors to New Thought (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). This climate of experimentation—fueled by the optimistic progressivism of the Gilded Age, the rise of psychology as a discipline, and a growing interest in the power of the mind—created fertile ground for a movement that would make mental and spiritual practice central to health and success.

Main Narrative

Origins and Founders

The New Thought movement is properly traced to Emma Curtis Hopkins (1849–1925), who is cited as its founder (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). Hopkins, a former student of Mary Baker Eddy, broke away from Christian Science to develop a more inclusive and intellectually expansive metaphysical teaching. She established the Emma Hopkins College of Metaphysical Science in Chicago in the 1880s, which trained many future leaders of the movement. Before Hopkins, however, Phineas Quimby, a clockmaker and healer from Maine, had developed a system of mental healing in the 1840s and 1850s that emphasized the power of suggestion and the idea that disease was rooted in false beliefs. Quimby’s work directly influenced Eddy and many others, though he himself did not found a lasting institution. The movement also drew on the transcendentalist legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Swedenborgian emphasis on correspondence between spiritual and material realms.

Beliefs and Core Ideas

At its core, New Thought is a form of religious idealism—the belief that ultimate reality is mental or spiritual rather than material. This idealism is the unifying foundation of all forms of New Thought (Encyclopedia.com, n.d.). Key tenets include the power of positive thinking, the practice of affirmation and visualization, the belief in the immanence of God, and the conviction that physical health and material abundance can be achieved through aligning one’s thoughts with divine principles. Unlike Christian Science, which emphasized the unreality of matter entirely, New Thought groups generally allowed for a more practical and varied application of these ideas. The movement’s emphasis on personal well-being and material success made it particularly appealing to a rising middle class seeking both spiritual meaning and practical results.

Institutions and Organizations

New Thought’s institutional history is marked by the formation of several distinct denominations and organizations. The International New Thought Alliance (INTA), founded in 1914, sought to unify the various branches under a common set of principles. Among the most prominent groups are Divine Science, founded by Malinda Cramer (1844–1906) and Nona Brooks (1861–1945) in the 1880s in Colorado; Unity, founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in Kansas City in 1889; and Religious Science, founded by Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) in Los Angeles in the 1920s. Each of these organizations developed its own publications, training programs, and networks of churches and study groups. The Fillmores, for example, launched Unity Magazine in 1890, which became a leading New Thought periodical. Holmes authored The Science of Mind (1926), which remains a foundational text. These institutions provided structure and continuity, allowing New Thought to expand beyond its early charismatic roots.

Publications and Periodicals

Print culture was vital to New Thought’s spread. Early periodicals included The Christian Science Journal, founded by Eddy in 1883, which, while not a New Thought publication, set a precedent for metaphysical publishing. New Thought-specific publications soon followed: Unity Magazine (1890), The Nautilus (1898) edited by Elizabeth Towne, and Science of Mind magazine (1927) from Religious Science. These magazines disseminated teachings, offered personal testimonies, and built a sense of community across geographic distances. Books also played a crucial role. Ralph Waldo Trine’s In Tune with the Infinite (1897) became a bestseller and introduced New Thought ideas to a broad audience. William Walker Atkinson, writing under multiple pseudonyms, produced dozens of works on mental science and personal power. These publications not only spread the movement’s ideas but also shaped its evolution, as editors and authors responded to readers’ needs and questions.

Major Events and Timeline

• 1830s–1840s: Phineas Quimby begins his experiments in mental healing.
• 1866: Mary Baker Eddy experiences her healing and later founds Christian Science.
• 1880s: Emma Curtis Hopkins establishes her college and trains future leaders; Divine Science emerges in Colorado.
• 1889: Charles and Myrtle Fillmore found Unity in Kansas City.
• 1897: Ralph Waldo Trine publishes In Tune with the Infinite.
• 1914: International New Thought Alliance founded.
• 1920s: Ernest Holmes establishes Religious Science; Science of Mind magazine launched.

Branches and Changes Over Time

New Thought evolved through several phases. Initially, it was a loose network of healers and teachers focused on mental healing. Under Hopkins and her students, it became more organized with training centers and ordination. The early twentieth century saw the proliferation of independent centers and the formation of INTA. The movement also absorbed influences from theosophy and the human potential movement of the mid-twentieth century. While some groups, like Unity, developed a more devotional and Christian-inflected practice, others, like Religious Science, emphasized a more scientific and philosophical approach. Over time, New Thought ideas permeated mainstream culture through the works of Norman Vincent Peale and later self-help authors, though often without explicit religious framing.

Psychology of Religion Connection

The relationship between New Thought and the psychology of religion is deeply intertwined. Psychologist and philosopher William James, in his landmark 1902 work The Varieties of Religious Experience, labeled New Thought “the religion of healthy-mindedness” (History of New Thought, n.d.). James saw New Thought as a prime example of a religious orientation that emphasizes optimism, mental healing, and the power of positive belief. This characterization was both descriptive and evaluative, positioning New Thought within the emerging field of psychology of religion. Later psychologists, such as those in the human potential movement, drew on New Thought ideas to develop techniques like positive affirmation and visualization. The historical relationship between psychology and religion, as noted by scholars, has moved from rejection to complexity (Peet, 2012). New Thought played a pivotal role in this evolution, offering a bridge between religious experience and psychological practice. Its emphasis on the subjective mind and the power of belief anticipated many findings in cognitive psychology and the psychology of motivation.

Why It Matters in New Thought History

The New Thought movement’s significance extends far beyond its own institutional boundaries. It fundamentally transformed how millions of Americans understand the connection between mind, body, and spirit. By emphasizing the power of thought to shape reality, New Thought laid the groundwork for the modern self-help industry and the human potential movement. Its ideas permeated mainstream culture through best-selling books, motivational speakers, and therapeutic practices. For students of New Thought history, the movement’s relationship with psychology is particularly important because it demonstrates how a religious movement can both influence and be influenced by a scientific discipline. The label “religion of healthy-mindedness” captured a core truth: New Thought offered a positive, life-affirming spirituality that resonated with the psychological needs of its adherents. Today, as psychology of religion continues to explore the benefits of religious coping and positive emotions, New Thought’s historical contributions remain relevant, reminding us that the pursuit of well-being has deep spiritual roots.

Primary Sources

• Phineas Quimby’s Manuscripts (1850s–1860s): Quimby’s writings on mental healing, preserved in the Library of Congress, provide the foundational ideas of New Thought.
• Emma Curtis Hopkins, Scientific Christian Mental Practice (1888): Hopkins’s major work outlines her metaphysical teachings and the principles of mental healing.
• Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, Unity Magazine (1890–present): The longest-running New Thought periodical, documenting the movement’s evolution.
• Ralph Waldo Trine, In Tune with the Infinite (1897): A bestseller that brought New Thought ideas to a mass audience.
• Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind (1926): The foundational text of Religious Science.
• William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902): Contains the famous characterization of New Thought as “the religion of healthy-mindedness.”