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-helpful adjective
• self-helpfulness noun
• 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

And it’s part self-help book offering a new mindset for success, one that encourages managing our emotions, clarifying what we want for ourselves and changing the way we think about what’s possible.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

It’s “a higher quality asset materially under-earning with self-help and/or acquisition by a strategic acquirer as potential catalysts,” write Wolfe analysts.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

"There are therapists that offer particular therapies, but self-help strategies can be just as effective. And one of the best ones is finding other people who suffer with the same thing."

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Mr. James has compiled his own self-help manifesto, one that strays into platitudes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

That’s how unfair things were during that era and why Colored people fought so hard and engaged in so much self-help in an effort to achieve equality.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson