An expert in wilderness therapy, L Jay Mitchell is a group presenter and guest speaker specializing in helping individuals and small groups overcome obstacles to happiness and contentment. Having founded several residential programs and created a therapeutic model called Applied Relationality, L Jay Mitchell explores assumptions of this model and the psychological concept of identity and self in his book Decide Now: The Good Life or The Best Life.
In this innovative book, he proposes that identity and how a person perceives that identity is tied to many life issues including, success, the quality of relationships, and whether a person attains fulfillment. With great care, the author corrects common misconceptions about the concept of self, such as the conception that a person's identity results exclusively from genetic factors and external conditions during growth and development. In the place of these conceptions, the author opines that a person's belief about themself is fundamental in determining their identity. This may be considered an internal condition although influenced by outside sources. He proposes that people have the power to influence essential issues in their lives by shaping how they view themselves.
Furthermore, he clarifies the positive psychology movement's implication that the most prominent life purpose is emotional satisfaction. Opining instead that the term emotional satisfaction has often been confused to mean well-being and happiness in the moment. Instead, the author posits that the primary life purpose is to live "a life of rich meaning and purpose, a life of quality relationships, a life of giving and receiving love."
