自我暗示的力量，是否存在边界？（七选五）
Scrolling through social media, you may often see phrases like “I am worthy” or “I choose happiness”. Does this kind of positive self-talk really work, and can it sometimes do more harm than good? Psychologists say the answer is not that simple.
The idea is not new. In the late 1980s, psychologist Claude Steele proposed self-affirmation theory. ____1____ Painful experiences, however—failing an exam or going through a breakup—can shake this sense of self, leading to anxiety and even depression. Affirmations are meant to protect against this by strengthening one’s sense of self-worth.
Research suggests that affirmations can help, but the effects are generally small. ____2____ Other studies link them to better self-esteem among students and people feeling depressed. Yet the evidence is mixed: a 2009 study found that affirmations improved mood among people with high self-esteem, while those with low self-esteem actually felt worse. Who benefits most remains unclear.
____3____ Toxic positivity (有毒的积极性) is one risk: people feel forced to hide difficult emotions. Simply telling someone to “think positively” may leave them feeling ashamed and unwilling to seek help. ____4____ Such self-talk can also be dangerous in truly unsafe situations—someone in a harmful relationship may stay so positive that they miss warning signs.
What may work better? The way people talk to themselves may matter more than simply forcing their thoughts to be positive. One useful approach is self-kindness—treating yourself as you would treat a good friend. Instead of pushing yourself to feel happy, acknowledge what you are going through: saying “this is hard” can be more helpful than repeating a cheerful slogan. Another is creating some distance from your emotions—say, by describing your feelings in the third person. ____5____
A. A 2025 review of 67 studies found a modest effect on self-image.
B. Yet a positive attitude can sometimes do harm.
C. In addition, chasing good feelings all the time is unrealistic.
D. It suggests people need to feel worthy and capable.
E. People with low self-esteem benefit most from positive self-talk.
F. Both approaches call for understanding, not forced positivity.
G. First-person self-talk works better than third-person.
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1.1.
A
B
C
D
解析：选D。D 前一句介绍了自我肯定理论的提出：In the late 1980s, psychologist Claude Steele proposed self-affirmation theory. 紧接着空后说：Painful experiences ... can shake this sense of self ... 其中 this sense of self 表明空格中应当先说明“自我肯定理论认为人需要形成什么样的自我认知”。 D项意为“该理论认为，人们需要感到自己有价值、有能力”。这里的 It 指代前一句中的“自我肯定理论”，worthy and capable 则与空后的 sense of self 和 sense of self-worth 相呼应。因此，D项在指代关系和语义上都衔接自然。故选D。
2.2.
A
B
C
D
解析：选A。A 前一句是：Research suggests that affirmations can help, but the effects are generally small. 意思是：研究表明积极自我肯定可能有效，但总体效果通常很小。A项提到一项涵盖67项研究的综述发现，它对自我形象的影响“有限”。其中 a modest effect 与前面的 the effects are generally small 形成直接对应，都是用具体研究证据说明积极自我肯定确实可能有一点作用，但作用并不显著。同时，空后又列举其他研究：Other studies link them to better self-esteem ...Other studies 也暗示空格中必须先出现“某项研究”或某些研究发现。因此A项最符合上下文。
3.3.
A
B
C
D
解析：选B。B 本段主要讨论积极心态可能带来的危害，例如：人们可能觉得被迫隐藏真实而痛苦的情绪；单纯让别人“积极思考”可能使其感到羞耻；在危险关系中，过度积极可能让人忽视危险信号。因此，空格需要引出本段主旨。B项意为“然而，积极的态度有时也可能造成伤害”。其中的转折副词 Yet 承接上一段，说明尽管积极自我肯定有时可能产生一定效果，但它并非总是有益的；do harm 又准确概括了本段所讨论的风险。所以，B项是这一段的中心句。
4.4.
A
B
C
D
解析：选C。C 空格前面已经指出一种风险：Toxic positivity is one risk: people feel forced to hide difficult emotions.即“有毒的积极性”可能迫使人们隐藏痛苦情绪。C项意为“此外，一直追求良好的感受是不现实的”。其中 In addition 表示在原有风险基础上继续补充另一种风险，与上下文构成递进关系。“一直追求快乐”也与前文的“强迫人们保持积极”语义一致。空后又继续指出这种自我谈话在真正危险的情况下可能带来严重后果，因此C项恰好位于前后两个论据之间，使段落逻辑更完整。故选C。
5.5.
A
B
C
D
解析：选F。F 空格前介绍了两种可能更有效的方法：self-kindness：像对待好朋友一样善待自己； creating some distance from your emotions：通过第三人称描述自己的感受，与情绪保持一定距离。因此，空格中的总结必须能够概括这两种方法。F项意为“这两种方法都要求理解自己，而不是强迫自己保持积极”。其中：Both approaches 指代前文提到的两种方法；understanding 总结“自我关怀”和“与情绪保持距离”的共同核心；not forced positivity 又呼应文章前面批评的“强迫性积极”。因此，F项是对本段的准确总结。