Wayne Dyer

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For the Montserrat international footballer, see Wayne Dyer (footballer).
Wayne Dyer
WayneDyerByPhilKonstantin.jpg
Wayne Dyer in 2009
Born (1940-05-10) May 10, 1940 (age 75)
Detroit, Michigan, US
Residence Maui, Hawaii
Occupation Teacher, author
Children 8 (6 biological; 2 step)

Wayne Walter Dyer (born May 10, 1940) is an American self-help author and motivational speaker. His first book Your Erroneous Zones (1976) is one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 35 million copies sold.

Early life and education[edit]

Dyer was born in Detroit, Michigan, to the late Melvin Lyle and Hazel Irene Dyer and spent much of his childhood (until he was ten years old) in an orphanage on the east side of Detroit.[1] After graduating from Denby High School Dyer served in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1962. He received his D.Ed. degree in counseling from Wayne State University[2] for a thesis titled "Group Counseling Leadership Training in Counselor Education" under the supervision of Mildred Peters.[3]

Career[edit]

Dyer worked as a high school guidance counselor in Detroit and as a professor of counselor education at St. John's University in New York City.[1] He pursued an academic career, published in journals and established a private therapy practice. His lectures at St. John's, which focused on positive thinking and motivational speaking techniques, attracted many students. A literary agent persuaded Dyer to document his theories in his first book called Your Erroneous Zones. Dyer quit his teaching job and began a publicity tour of the United States of America, doggedly pursuing bookstore appearances and media interviews ("out of the back of his station wagon", according to Michael Korda, making the best-seller lists "before book publishers even noticed what was happening"[4]), which eventually led to national television talk show appearances including Merv Griffin, The Tonight Show, and Phil Donahue.[1]

Dyer proceeded to build on his success with lecture tours, a series of audiotapes, and regular publication of new books. Dyer's message resonated with many in the New Thought Movement and beyond. He often recounted anecdotes from his family life, and repeatedly used his own life experience as an example. His self-made man success story was a part of his appeal.[1] Dyer told readers to pursue self actualization, calling reliance on the self as a guide to "religious" experience, and suggested that readers emulate Jesus Christ, whom he termed both an example of a self-actualized person, and a "preacher of self-reliance".[5] Dyer criticized societal focus on guilt, which he saw as an unhealthy immobilization in the present due to actions taken in the past. He advocated readers to see how parents, institutions, and even they, themselves, have imposed guilt trips upon themselves.[6]

Although Dyer initially resisted the spiritual tag, by the 1990s he had altered his message to include more components of spirituality when he wrote the book Real Magic, and discussed higher consciousness, in the book Your Sacred Self.[1][7]

Influences[edit]

He was influenced by Abraham Maslow's concept of self-actualization, and by the teachings of Swami Muktananda whom he considers as his master.[8][9] In his book, "Wishes Fulfilled; Mastering the Art of Manifesting," Dr. Dyer also credits Saint Frances of Assisi and the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu and their teachings as being foundational influences in his work.[10]

Criticism[edit]

Dyer has been criticized by PBS viewers for his appearances on PBS during their pledge drives. An ombudsmen once summarized the essence of the complaints as being "that PBS might be seen as lending its prestige to Dyer's spiritual views and aligning itself with his teachings."[11]

In May 2010, author Stephen Mitchell, husband of New Age author Byron Katie, filed a suit against Dyer for plagiarism, accusing him of taking 200 lines of his interpretation of the Tao Te Ching for his books Living the Wisdom of the Tao and Change Your Thoughts – Change Your Life.[12]

Psychotherapist Albert Ellis writes that Dyer's book Your Erroneous Zones is probably "the worst example" of plagiarism of Ellis' Rational Emotive Therapy (RET).[13] In a 1985 letter to Dyer, Ellis claims that Dyer had participated in a workshop Ellis gave on RET before Dyer published his book, in which Dyer appeared to understand RET very well. Ellis adds that "300 or more people have voluntarily told me... that [the book] was clearly derived from RET." Dyer never apologized or expressed any sense of wrongdoing. Ellis admonishes Dyer for unethically and unprofessionally not giving Ellis credit as the book's primary source, but expresses overall gratitude for Dyer's work, writing: "Your Erroneous Zones is a good book, ... it has helped a great number of people, and ... it outlines the main principles of RET quite well,... with great simplicity and clarity." [14]

Personal life[edit]

Dyer has been married three times. He has a daughter, Tracy, from his first wife, Judy. His second wife was Susan Casselman (no children). He has five children (Skye, Summer, Serena, Sands, and Saje) with his third wife, Marcelene, who has two children (Shane and Stephanie) from a prior marriage. Wayne and Marcelene legally separated in 2001 after twenty years of marriage.[15]

"My beliefs are that the truth is a truth until you organize it, and then becomes a lie. I don't think that Jesus was teaching Christianity, Jesus was teaching kindness, love, concern, and peace. What I tell people is don't be Christian, be Christ-like. Don't be Buddhist, be Buddha-like."[16] "Religion is orthodoxy, rules and historical scriptures maintained by people over long periods of time. Generally people are raised to obey the customs and practices of that religion without question. These are customs and expectations from outside the person and do not fit my definition of spiritual."[17]

Bibliography[edit]

[citation needed]]]

  • Your Erroneous Zones
  • Pulling Your Own Strings
  • The Sky's the Limit
  • You'll See it When You Believe it
  • Real Magic
  • Your Sacred Self
  • Gifts from Eykis
  • Being in Balance
  • Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life
  • Don't Die with Your Music Still in You (with Serena J. Dyer)
  • Everyday Wisdom
  • Everyday Wisdom for Success
  • Excuses Begone!
  • Getting in the Gap
  • Inspiration
  • The Incredible Force
  • Living the Wisdom of the Tao
  • My Greatest Teacher (with Lynn Lauber)
  • The Power of Intention
  • A Promise is a Promise
  • The Shift
  • Staying on the Path
  • 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace
  • Your Ultimate Calling
  • Wishes Fulfilled. Mastering the Art of Manifesting
  • There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem

Children's books[edit]

[citation needed]]]

  • I Am (with Kristina Tracy)
  • Incredible You! (with Kristina Tracy)
  • It's Not What You've Got! (with Kristina Tracy)
  • No Excuses! (with Kristina Tracy)
  • Unstoppable Me! (with Kristina Tracy)

Films[edit]

  • Ambition to Meaning [January 2009], rereleased as The Shift [April 2009] by Hay House
  • Day & Night (2010), an animated short film created by Pixar and which was shown along with Toy Story 3 during the movie's opening in the U.S., featured an excerpt from one of Dyer's lectures.[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Dan Coffey (2002). St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. Gale Group. 
  2. Jump up ^ Author Biography. Hay House.
  3. Jump up ^ Wayne, Dyer. "Group Counseling Leadership Training in Counselor Education" ProQuest. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  4. Jump up ^ Michael Korda (2001). Making the List: A Cultural History of the American Bestseller, 1900–1999. Barnes & Noble Publishing. 
  5. Jump up ^ Dan P. McAdams (2006). The Redemptive Self: Stories Americans Live by. Oxford University Press. 
  6. Jump up ^ Henlee Huxlee Barnette (1982). Exploring Medical Ethics. Mercer University Press. 
  7. Jump up ^ Boca Raton News, November 13, 2002.
  8. Jump up ^ Interview With New Age Retailer http://www.drwaynedyer.com/ November 2005, accessed 23 December 2014
  9. Jump up ^ ‫واين داير - اتقان فن التجلى - YouTube. YouTube. May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2015. 
  10. Jump up ^ Dyer, Wayne. Wishes Fulfilled, Mastering the Art of Manifesting. 
  11. Jump up ^ PBS. "PBS - Ombudsman - Pledging Allegiance, or March Madness?". Retrieved June 6, 2015. 
  12. Jump up ^ "Self-help guru Wayne Dyer sued for stealing from Tao book". THR, Esq. (May 24, 2010)
  13. Jump up ^ Ellis, Albert (2010). All out!: An Autobiography. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. p. 485. ISBN 9781591024521. 
  14. Jump up ^ Ellis, Albert (2010). All out!: An Autobiography. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books. pp. 486–490. ISBN 9781591024521. 
  15. Jump up ^ DVD no. 1 of 4-DVD set, Experiencing the Miraculous, copyright Wayne W. Dyer, 2012.
  16. Jump up ^ "Health & Wellness Articles - Anti Aging - Fitness - Detoxification - Inspiration - Mental Health - Nutrition - Medicine - Relationships - Weight Loss - Success - Anti Aging". Retrieved June 6, 2015. 
  17. Jump up ^ "There's A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem". Retrieved June 6, 2015. 
  18. Jump up ^ "Day & Night: The Quote". Pixar Talk. Retrieved June 6, 2015. 

External links[edit]

Video link
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