What would it mean in practice to eliminate all the 'negative people' from one's life [as demanded by motivational speaker J.P. Maroney]? It might be a good idea to separate from a chronically carping spouse, but it is not so easy to abandon the whiny toddler, the colicky infant, or the sullen teenager.

Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (ed. Macmillan, 2009) - ISBN: 9781429942539