1390: "Dr. Joseph Murphy"

HistoryPodcastScience
Written By JC

Interesting Things with JC #1390: "Dr. Joseph Murphy" – From a small Irish village to a global bestseller. In 1963, as the world feared missiles and mourned Kennedy, Murphy showed the greatest power was in the mind.

Curriculum - Episode Anchor

Episode Title: Dr. Joseph Murphy
Episode Number: #1390
Host: JC
Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners
Subject Area: Psychology, Philosophy, Modern Intellectual History

Lesson Overview

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:

  • Define the contributions of Joseph Murphy to the modern self-help movement.

  • Compare Murphy’s approach to other prominent self-help figures like Norman Vincent Peale and Napoleon Hill.

  • Analyze the historical and psychological contexts that influenced Murphy’s message.

  • Explain how Murphy’s teachings on the subconscious mind have persisted across decades and cultures.

Key Vocabulary

  • Subconscious (ˌsʌbˈkɑːnʃəs) — The part of the mind not fully aware but influencing actions and feelings. Murphy believed the subconscious could shape reality through belief.

  • Affirmation (ˌæfərˈmeɪʃən) — A positive statement used to reinforce belief; Murphy taught affirmations could reprogram the subconscious.

  • Visualization (ˌvɪʒuəlaɪˈzeɪʃən) — Mentally picturing desired outcomes to influence real-world results.

  • New Thought Movement (njuː θɔːt ˈmuːvmənt) — A spiritual movement promoting metaphysical beliefs about healing and personal power.

  • Ideology (ˌaɪdiˈɑːlədʒi) — A system of ideas; Murphy’s work blended ideologies from Christianity, Hinduism, and other belief systems.

Narrative Core

  • Open — The episode opens with the story of Joseph Murphy’s humble beginnings in rural Ireland and his early aspirations of priesthood.

  • Info — Background is provided on Murphy’s emigration to the U.S., work as a pharmacist, and growing interest in the link between mind and health.

  • Details — The turning point comes in the 1940s with Murphy’s rise as a spiritual teacher in Los Angeles, merging diverse religious philosophies into a singular message about the subconscious.

  • Reflection — Murphy’s enduring message—that real power lies in the mind—resonates deeply, especially during times of crisis like the Cold War or modern instability.

  • Closing — These are interesting things, with JC.

Podcast cover art for Interesting Things with JC #1390: 'Dr Joseph Murphy.' A vintage 1970s view of Laguna Hills shows a landscaped park with rocks, trees, and a pond in the foreground, while a large metallic globe sculpture rises above the grassy hills under a bright blue sky

Transcript

Joseph Murphy was born in 1898 in Ballydehob, a little fishing village in County Cork, Ireland. It was a poor, rural place, and like many young Irish boys, he was expected to follow a set path. For a while, he trained for the priesthood, but life steered him another way. In the 1920s he came to America, worked as a pharmacist in New York, and grew curious about how the mind and health connect. He studied psychology, philosophy, and world religions, pulling together ideas most folks never thought to mix.

By the 1940s, Murphy was in Los Angeles, preaching at the Church of Divine Science. His sermons pulled from the Bible but also from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. His message was plain: your subconscious mind shapes your life. What you believe deep down has more power than most people realize.

In 1963, just a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis and the very same year President Kennedy was assassinated, Murphy published The Power of Your Subconscious Mind. While the world was gripped by fear of nuclear war and shaken by tragedy at home, Murphy told people the real power wasn’t in missiles or politics—it was inside. The book was simple and practical: pray, visualize, affirm what you want, and your subconscious will go to work. It struck a chord. Translated into more than 15 languages and selling over 10 million copies worldwide, it’s still on shelves 60 years later. Alongside Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, it helped shape the modern self-help movement.

Murphy went on to write more than thirty books, teaching and lecturing until his death in California in 1981. From a small Irish fishing village to pulpits in Los Angeles and bookshelves across the globe, Joseph Murphy proved that even in an age of rockets and bombs, the greatest power is found in the quiet engine of thought. And in our own unsettled times, that reminder…it lives on.

These are interesting things, with JC.

Student Worksheet

  1. What early career path did Joseph Murphy initially pursue in Ireland?

  2. How did Murphy’s interest in psychology and religion shape his message?

  3. What global events contextualized the release of The Power of Your Subconscious Mind?

  4. Compare Murphy’s teachings to those of Norman Vincent Peale or Napoleon Hill.

  5. In your own words, why do you think Murphy’s ideas remain popular today?

Teacher Guide

Estimated Time: 1–2 class periods (45–60 minutes each)

Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:

  • Use a “Word Wall” for subconscious-related terms.

  • Assign students to look up definitions and use them in context.

Anticipated Misconceptions:

  • Students may assume Murphy’s work is strictly religious; clarify it blends philosophical traditions.

  • Students may confuse “subconscious” with “unconscious” in a clinical sense.

Discussion Prompts:

  • What power do belief systems hold in shaping our reality?

  • How did global fear and political tension influence self-help popularity?

  • Are Murphy’s methods (visualization, affirmation) scientifically supported?

Differentiation Strategies:

  • ESL: Pair key vocabulary with visual aids.

  • IEP: Offer sentence starters or guided question formats.

  • Gifted: Encourage deeper analysis of Murphy’s cross-religious philosophy.

Extension Activities:

  • Create a visualization board inspired by Murphy’s teachings.

  • Analyze how media today uses self-help language in advertising or pop culture.

Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Psychology — Theories of the subconscious and belief systems.

  • History — 1960s America and the Cold War era context.

  • Religious Studies — Comparative analysis of world religions in Murphy’s teachings.

Quiz

Q1. Where was Joseph Murphy born?
A. Dublin, Ireland
B. Cork City, Ireland
C. Ballydehob, Ireland
D. Galway, Ireland
Answer: C

Q2. What profession did Murphy hold in New York?
A. Preacher
B. Pharmacist
C. Psychologist
D. Teacher
Answer: B

Q3. In what year was The Power of Your Subconscious Mind published?
A. 1953
B. 1960
C. 1963
D. 1971
Answer: C

Q4. Which of the following is most central to Murphy’s message?
A. Discipline and punishment
B. Government policy
C. The power of the subconscious mind
D. Meditation only
Answer: C

Q5. What global event happened in the same year Murphy’s book was published?
A. Start of World War II
B. Moon landing
C. Cuban Missile Crisis
D. Assassination of JFK
Answer: D

Assessment

  1. Describe how Joseph Murphy’s background influenced his spiritual philosophy and teachings.

  2. Analyze how Murphy’s message provided comfort during times of political uncertainty.

3–2–1 Rubric:

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful

  • 2 = Partial or missing detail

  • 1 = Inaccurate or vague

Standards Alignment

Common Core – ELA:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3 — Analyze a complex set of ideas, such as Murphy’s integration of philosophy and psychology.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 — Determine the central ideas of a primary source (Murphy’s teachings and text excerpts).

C3 Framework – Social Studies:

  • D2.His.1.9-12 — Evaluate how historical context shaped Murphy’s rise during the Cold War era.

  • D2.Civ.7.9-12 — Analyze how non-political influences (like Murphy’s writings) affected society.

ISTE Standards:

  • 1.3 Knowledge Constructor — Students critically curate information from multiple sources (e.g., comparing Murphy with other figures).

UK A-Level Psychology:

  • AQA 4.1.1 Approaches in Psychology — Compare cognitive and humanistic theories, with Murphy’s approach as a case study.

IB DP Psychology:

  • Paper 1: Cognitive Approach — Analyze beliefs and mental representations affecting behavior.

Show Notes

This episode introduces listeners to Joseph Murphy, a spiritual thinker and writer whose ideas helped launch the self-help genre. From his rural Irish roots to his rise as a philosophical preacher in Los Angeles, Murphy’s journey reveals how ideas drawn from diverse religious and psychological traditions came together to form a simple but powerful message: the subconscious mind holds the key to personal transformation. The podcast invites learners to explore the psychological and historical contexts that shaped Murphy’s enduring influence, while also reflecting on how his ideas continue to resonate in uncertain times. This topic is particularly relevant for discussions about mental health, personal agency, and the intersection of belief and science.

References:

JC https://jimconnors.org
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