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The Psychology of Manifestation
How to Create you Dream Reality (Backed By Science)

Manifestation

In recent years, the term has been tossed around as a kind of secret sauce in a recipe for achieving goals. Looking for your dream partner? Simply manifest them. Hoping to double your income in the next year? Manifestation, again. But what does this “magic” word really mean? And how does one actually go about creating their ideal reality? Let’s start from the beginning and view the process through a psychological lens.
Oxford Languages defines manifestation as “an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea.” Psychology Today simplifies it as turning an idea into reality. While the concept has become a key element in many spiritual and mindset practices, it is typically explained by principles of pseudoscience and leaves out any scientific backing. So before we dive into specific action steps (emphasis on action), we must first understand the concepts of volition and self-agency. Intentional thoughts: the prerequisite to manifesting.

Volition can be thought of as freewill, or freely and consciously choosing our actions. In this sense, actions are broken down into two different categories: involuntary and voluntary. When we inhale a breath of oxygen or produce sweat during a run, we are acting involuntarily. Alternatively, when we mindfully take a deep breath during a yoga flow or choose to increase our running pace, we are acting voluntarily, or consciously.

This idea of voluntary action can help be explained by a framework called instrumental conditioning. Through instrumental conditioning, an individual discovers that different actions produce different outcomes. A well-known example of this concept is the Skinner box experiment, where the action of a pigeon pecking a disc is positively associated with the pigeon receiving food. Choices like these are constructed from an internal representation of the expected outcome. This element of mindfulness during action is the foundation to any manifestation practice.

Self-Agency walks hand-in-hand with volition, and refers to the notion that actions are self-generated. Social cognitive psychologist, Albert Bandura, defines agency as “the human capability to influence one's functioning and the course of events by one's actions.” Bandura describes four key functions through which human agency is practiced:

Intentionality takes us back to our voluntary actions and describes the notion of acting with purpose or mindfulness. In this function, the individual forms intentions that often include strategies and action plans for achieving them.

Forethought refers to predicting future results from current situations. When the individual sets a goal, they foresee likely outcomes of prospective actions to guide their strategy and motivate their efforts.

Self-Reactiveness includes the process of self-management and regulation. Agents are more than thinkers and planners. They also keep their subject in check throughout the relationship. Self-Agency requires the individual to mimic this role of the agent and adapt to setbacks and uncertainty. Self-Reflectiveness portrays the actions of reflection and examination. In this stage, the individual re-visits their “why” factor and the meaning of their pursuits. They reflect on the quality of their work and the soundness of their actions and make any necessary adjustments.

Creating your reality in 4 simple steps

Using these core psychological principles, we are ready to dive into the process of manifestation, using this 4-step process:

1. Choose what you want to manifest. This step sets up the rest of the process and may take a good amount of time to define and refine. Choosing what you wish to bring into your world is the conception piece of manifestation. In other words, you are preparing to create something from an idea in your head. In order to bring this foresight into reality, you must get clear (really clear) on what it is. For example, your goal to “make more money” won’t work if your vision stops here. You must specify this intention to exactly how much money you wish to make, why you wish to make this much money, and what you intend to do with the additional income. Once your ask is clarified, the vision becomes clear and the process can begin.

2. Remove anything that stands in your way. Detoxing your world of anything that no longer serves you and your goal is key in moving forward with your intention. If you surround yourself with people who struggle financially and are careless with their money, you may run into friction while birthing your vision. If you work a job that isn’t meeting your financial goals, you are taking up precious time that could be allocated to finding a path that does. Turning inward, limiting beliefs are one of the biggest hurdles in achieving goals. If you don’t believe you can make your dream salary, you won’t acquire it. If you feel guilt around making a certain amount of money, you will make below that amount. Beliefs around your intention are often the biggest (and most difficult) “things” to clear before taking action.

3. Take action. This is arguably the most important step to the process, and the one many people fail to properly complete. Our modern idea of manifestation is often thought of as “asking and receiving,” as if the powers of the universe work for you as you sit back and relax. While this would be lovely, it is unfortunately not that simple. However, the action piece of the puzzle usually is the most rewarding. Begin by breaking your larger goal down into smaller fragments that feel easier to achieve. If you defined your vision as wanting to make $100,000 a year, you will need to make $8,333 per month, $1,923 per week, and $274 per day. Having these numbers as a reference will then allow you to form specific action steps needed to achieve this goal. These steps could look like working hard towards a promotion, making a career change, beginning an entrepreneurial venture, or investing in a business coach to level up your company.

5. Check-in on your progress. Reflecting on your journey is essential to success. Pencil in weekly or monthly check-ins with yourself to ensure you are on the right path to achieving your goal. Celebrate your wins (even the small ones!) and recalibrate to adjust anything that is not working. Throughout the process, check-in with yourself to ensure each action is fueled with intention and mindfulness.