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

He logged mass-market self-help books on his Goodreads: Malcolm Gladwell, James Clear, you name it.

From Slate • May 1, 2026

“It’ll be funny, effective, kitschy, nostalgic and change the way we use self-help for the better.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 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

But to its credit—and, sometimes, to its detriment—“The Life You Want” is anything but a self-help book.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“I have no idea. I can’t read it. But a lot of her jobs are junky self-help books that she complains about. She’s more of a science fiction fan.”

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead