self-help

American  

[self-help, self-] / ˌsɛlfˈhɛlp, ˈsɛlf- /

noun

1. the act of providing for or helping or the ability to provide for or help oneself without assistance from others.

2. Law. the act or right of remedying a wrong, without resorting to legal proceedings.

3. the acquiring of information or the solving of one's problems, especially those of a psychological nature, without the direct supervision of professionals or experts, as by independent reading or by joining or forming lay groups that are devoted to one's interests or goals.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a book, article, home study course, or the like, offering an individual information or counseling intended to be personally beneficial or profitable.

   self-help books on overcoming shyness.

self-help British  

noun

1. the act or state of providing the means to help oneself without relying on the assistance of others

2. 1. the practice of solving one's problems by joining or forming a group designed to help those suffering from a particular problem

   2. ( as modifier )

      a self-help group

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Other Word Forms

• self-helper
  noun
• self-helpfulness
  noun
• self-helpful
  adjective
• self-helping
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-help

First recorded in 1825–35

Explanation

Self-help is the business of helping people help themselves. Stuart Smalley is a fictional self-help guru whose advice is to say this daily affirmation: “I’m good enough, I’m strong enough, and doggone it, people like me!” You can use the term self-help for any improvement you help yourself make, but it's often used for the industry and culture of self improvement programs. You can buy self-help books or attend self-help groups, some of which can provide emotional support and great ideas for helping yourself. You might start a self-help practice to become a better listener, or to try and eat less refined sugar, or to understand why you feel blue in the wintertime.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-help

While in custody, he obtained a master’s degree and completed multiple self-help programs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

This money-minded self-help is far more widely available and less regulated than the traditional financial services industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

One of her biggest writers is the author-activist Glennon Doyle, who has chronicled addiction, divorce and an unexpected romance with soccer player Abby Wambach across a string of blockbuster self-help memoirs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

"The state government will supply boiled eggs separately to these schools by engaging self-help groups from August 1," Adhikari told reporters.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

In the decades that followed, Colored people strove to educate themselves— organizing, creating self-help groups, running for office, fighting to change laws, founding schools, and so on.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson