Self-help: Difference between revisions
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{{Wiktionary}} |
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lol jaime le hockey et le self help aussi |
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[[Image:RecoveryInternational.jpg|thumb|250px| [[Recovery International]] is a mental health self-help organization founded in 1937 by neuropsychiatrist [[Abraham Low]] in Chicago, Illinois. ]] |
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'''Self-help''', or '''self-improvement''', is a self-guided improvement<ref name="APA">''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.</ref>—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial [[psychology|psychological]] basis. There are many different self-help movements and each one has its own unique focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases leaders. |
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Self-help often takes place on the basis of publicly available information or of [[support groups]] where people in similar situations<!-- "using problems is negative --> join together.<ref name="APA"/> From early exemplars in self-driven legal practice<ref name="Salerno 2005">Steve Salerno (2005) ''Sham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless'', ISBN 1-4000-5409-5 p.24-25</ref> and home-spun advice, the connotations of the phrase have spread and often apply particularly to [[education]], [[business]], [[psychology|psychological]] or [[psychotherapy|psychotherapeutic]] nostrums, purveyed through the popular genre of [[self-help book]]s. According to the ''APA Dictionary of Psychology'', potential benefits of self-help groups that professionals may not be able to provide include friendship, emotional support, experiential knowledge, [[Personal identity (philosophy)|identity]], meaningful roles, and a sense of belonging.<ref name="APA"/> |
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Groups associated with health conditions may consist of patients and/or their care givers. As well as featuring long-time members sharing [[experience]]s, these health groups can become [[lobby group]]s and clearing-houses for educational material. Those who help themselves by learning about health problems do exemplify self-help, while one might better regard such groups as peer-to-peer support. |
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==History== |
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The authors of the 1994 book ''[[First Things First (book)|First Things First]]'' invoke [[wisdom literature]] dating back as far as 2500 B.C. as a validation of their particular enumeration of fundamental human needs<ref>Covey, Stephen R., Merrill, A. Roger, and Merrill, Rebecca R., ''First Things First: to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy''. New York: Simon and Schuster (1994)</ref>. Within [[classical antiquity]], some {{Who|date=January 2009}} have seen the advice poetry of [[Hesiod]], particularly his [[Works and Days]], as an early adaptation of Near Eastern wisdom literature. The [[Stoics]] offered advice with a psychological flavor.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} The genre of [[mirror-of-princes writing]]s, which has a long history in [[Islamic]] and Western [[Renaissance]] literature, represents a secular cognate of Biblical wisdom literature. [[proverb|Proverbs]] from many periods, collected and uncollected, embody traditional moral and practical advice of diverse cultures. |
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The actual phrase "self-help" often appeared relatively early on in a legal context, referring to the doctrine that a party in a dispute has the right to use lawful means on their own initiative to remedy a wrong.<ref> |
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The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' (2nd edition, 1989) traces legal usage back to at least 1875; whereas it detects "self-help" as a moral virtue as early as 1831 in [[Thomas Carlyle|Carlyle]]'s ''[[Sartor Resartus]]''. |
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</ref> |
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[[Samuel Smiles]] (1812-1904) published the first self-consciously personal-development "self-help" book — entitled ''[[Self-Help (book)|Self-Help]]'' — in 1859. Its opening sentence: "Heaven helps those who help themselves", provides a variation of "God helps them that help themselves", the oft-quoted [[maxim (saying)|maxim]] that also appeared previously in [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s ''[[Poor Richard's Almanac]]'' (1733 - 1758). |
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Some commentators{{Who|date=January 2009}} suggest that [[Dale Carnegie]] (1888-1955) began the self-help movement in the 20th century when he published ''[[How to Win Friends and Influence People]]'' in 1936. Having failed in several careers, Carnegie became fascinated with success and its link to [[self-confidence]], and studied the subject for years. Carnegie's books have since sold over 50 million copies.<ref>O'Neil, William J. (2003). ''Business Leaders & Success: 55 Top Business Leaders & How They Achieved Greatness''. [[McGraw-Hill Professional]]. pp. 35-36. ISBN 0071426809 |
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</ref> |
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In 1902 [[James Allen (author)|James Allen]] published ''[[As a Man Thinketh]]'', which proceeds from the conviction that "a man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." Noble thoughts, the book maintains, make for a noble person, whilst lowly thoughts make for a miserable person. |
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[[Napoleon Hill|Napoleon Hill's]] ''[[Think and Grow Rich]]'' (1937) described the use of repeated [[positive thought]]s to attract happiness and wealth by tapping into an "[[Infinite]] Intelligence".<ref>Starker, Steven (2002). ''Oracle at the Supermarket: The American Preoccupation With Self-Help Books''. Transaction Publishers. p. 62. ISBN 0765809648</ref> |
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Dr Neville Yeomans, an Australian Psychiatrist, Clinical Sociologist, Psychologist and Barrister pioneered Self-Help and Mutual Help in Australia through his pioneering work at Australia's first therapeutic community Fraser House (1959-1968), an 80 bed residential unit in North Ryde Sydney. Former inmates of this unit started many self-help groups around Sydney. Neville's life work is detailed in Dr Les Spencer's PhD dissertation:Cultural Keyline - The life work of Dr Neville Yeomans - Internet Source <http://www.laceweb.org.au/ck/ck.htm> |
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Self-help and mutual-help are very different to, though may complement service delivery by professionals. A detailed paper on this difference may be found at internet source <http://www.laceweb.org.au/int.htm>. This paper explores interfacing local self-help and International Aid's service delivery model. The paper provides a rich resource on self help processes. |
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== The self-help marketplace == |
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{{Mergefrom|self help book|date=November 2008}} |
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Research firm [[Marketdata]] estimated the "self-improvement" market in the U.S. as worth more than $9 billion in 2006 — including [[infomercial]]s, [[mail-order catalog]]s, [[holistic]] institutes, books, [[Compact Cassette|audio cassette]]s, [[motivational speaker|motivation-speaker]] seminars, the [[personal coaching]] market, [[weight loss|weight-loss]] and [[stress management|stress-management]] programs. Marketdata projected that the total market size would grow to over $11 billion by 2008.<ref>{{cite press release | title = Self-Improvement Market in U.S. Worth $9.6 Billion | publisher = PRWeb | date = September 21, 2006 | format = | url = http://www.prwebdirect.com/releases/2006/9/prweb440011.php | accessdate = 2008-12-18 | quote = Marketdata Enterprises, Inc., a leading independent market research publisher, has released a new 321-page market study entitled: The U.S. Market For Self-Improvement Products & Services. }} |
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</ref> |
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Within the context of this larger market, group and corporate attempts to aid the "seeker" have moved into the "self-help" marketplace, with [[Large Group Awareness Training|LGAT]]s<ref> |
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{{cite book |
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| last = Coon |
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| first = Dennis |
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| authorlink = |
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| coauthors = |
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| title = Psychology: A Journey |
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| publisher = Thomson Wadsworth |
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|year=2004 |
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| location = |
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| pages = 520, 528, 538 |
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| url = |
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| doi = |
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| isbn = 0534632645 |
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| quote = ... programs that claim to increase self-awareness and facilitate constructive personal change. |
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}} |
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</ref> |
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and [[psychotherapy]] systems represented. These offer more-or-less prepackaged solutions to instruct people seeking their own individual betterment.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} |
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A sub-genre of self-help book series also exists: such as the [[...for Dummies|''for Dummies'' guides]] and the ''[[The Complete Idiot's Guide to...]]''. |
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== The self-help movement == |
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Self-help behavior can be seen as something as natural and as ubiquitous as breathing. The term may be too general to be defined, or criticized, as a single entity. |
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Scholars have targeted self-help claims as misleading and incorrect. In 2005, Steve Salerno portrayed the American self-help movement -- he uses the acronym ''SHAM: the Self-Help and Actualization Movement'' -- not only as ineffective in achieving its goals, but also as socially harmful.<ref name="Salerno 2005"/> [[Christopher Buckley]] in his book ''God is My Broker'' asserts: "The only way to get rich from a self-help book is to write one."<ref>[http://amazon.com/dp/0060977612 Amazon.com editorial review of ''God Is My Broker'']</ref> |
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The self-help world has become the target of [[parody|parodies]]. [[Walker Percy]]'s ''Lost in the Cosmos''<ref>''Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book''. New York: Farrar, Straus, 1983.</ref> offers a book-length parody. In their 2006 book ''Secrets of The Superoptimist'', authors W.R. Morton and Nathanel Whitten revealed the concept of "superoptimism" as a humorous antidote to the overblown self-help book category. In his comedy special ''[[Complaints and Grievances]]'', [[George Carlin]] observes that there is "no such thing" as self-help: anyone looking for help from someone else doesn't technically get "self" help; and one who accomplishes something without help, didn't need help to begin with.<ref>{{cite video |
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| people = Carlin, George |
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| title = Complaints and Grievances |
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| medium = DVD |
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| publisher = Atlantic Records |
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| location = |
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| date = 2001-11-17}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
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* [[Conduct book]] |
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* [[Do it yourself]] |
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* [[Mirror-of-princes writing]] |
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* [[Mutual aid society|Mutual Aid Societies]] |
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* [[Nightingale-Conant]] - a provider of self-help materials |
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* [[Personal Development]] |
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* [[Self-experimentation]] |
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* [[Self (psychology)]] |
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* [[Wisdom literature]] |
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* [[Self Help Development International]] - an Irish development agency |
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* [[Self-help groups for mental health]] |
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* [[Support groups]] |
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For articles on individual: |
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* [[:Category:Self-help books|Self-help books]] |
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* [[:Category:Self-help writers|Self-help writers]] |
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==Footnotes== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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<!--Please do not add external links to self-help books, dictionaries, or articles made by personal development writers. There are thousands of such works and examples would unfairly promote just some of them. The Open Directory Project strives to organise all these links.--> |
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[[Category:Personal development]] |
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[[Category:Self-care]] |
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[[Category:Self]] |
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[[Category:Self-help books|Self-help books]] |
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[[eo:Memhelpo]] |
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[[fr:Développement personnel]] |
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[[nl:Zelfhulp]] |
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[[ja:自助グループ]] |
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[[pt:Auto-ajuda]] |
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Revision as of 12:45, 25 March 2010
lol jaime le hockey et le self help aussi