Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Self-help \Self`-help"\, n.
The act of aiding one's self, without depending on the aid of others.
(Law) The right or fact of redressing or preventing wrongs by one's own action without recourse to legal proceedings, as in self-defense, distress, abatement of a nuisance, etc.
developing one's capabilities or solving one's own problems, especially psychological problems, without the assistance of a professional, by independent study or by association with other individuals having similar interests.
Self-help \Self`-help"\, a. of, pertaining to, or useful for the process of developing one's capabilities or solving one's problems; as, self-help books on writing for profit.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary
n. 1 the practice of bettering oneself without relying on the assistance of others. 2 (context legal English) an act of redressing or preventing a wrong by one's own actions rather than through legal proceedings
WordNet
n. the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on anyone else
Wikipedia
Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. Many different self-help group programs exist, each with its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders. Concepts and terms originating in self-help culture and Twelve-Step culture, such as recovery, dysfunctional families, and codependency have become firmly integrated in mainstream language.
Self-help often utilizes publicly available information or support groups, on the Internet as well as in person, where people in similar situations join together. From early examples in self-driven legal practice and home-spun advice, the connotations of the word have spread and often apply particularly to education, business, psychology and psychotherapy, commonly distributed through the popular genre of self-help books. 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, identity, meaningful roles, and a sense of belonging.
Groups associated with health conditions may consist of patients and caregivers. As well as featuring long-time members sharing experiences, these health groups can become support groups and clearing-houses for educational material. Those who help themselves by learning and identifying about health problems can be said to exemplify self-help, while self-help groups can be seen more as peer-to-peer support.
Self-help may refer to:
- Samopomich (translates to "Self-help"), political party in Ukraine
- self-help, self-guided improvement economically, intellectually, or emotionally, most frequently with a substantial psychological or spiritual basis
- Self-help (law), individuals' implementation of their rights without resorting to legal writ or consultation of higher authority
- Self-Help (album), album released by the metalcore band Spitfire
- "Self Help" (The Walking Dead), an episode of the television series The Walking Dead
- Center for Community Self-Help, leading Community Development Financial Institution
Self-help, in the sense of a legal doctrine, refers to individuals' implementation of their rights without resorting to legal writ or consultation of higher authority, as where a financial institution repossesses a car on which they hold both the title and a defaulted note. Individuals resort to self-help when they retrieve property found under the unauthorized control of another person, or simply abate nuisances (as by using sandbags and ditches to protect land from being flooded).
Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character and Conduct was a book published in 1859 by Samuel Smiles. The second edition of 1866 added Perseverance to the subtitle. It has been called "the bible of mid-Victorian liberalism".
Self-Help is the second album released by the metalcore band Spitfire. It was released on February 28, 2006, through Goodfellow Records.
Self-Help (1985) is a collection of short stories by Lorrie Moore.
Usage examples of "self-help".
Changing our reaction to the environment is another self-help approach based on classical conditioning methods.
Being so psychologically concerned that you already take psychopharmacological drugs or have a psychotherapist with whom you should consult about any self-help efforts.
Self-help books, like this one, and psychoeducational approaches make the same point: humans can influence their own lives if they know effective methods.
A flood of self-help books describe ACA's variously as overly anxious and responsible, passive placaters, martyrs, apathetic, substance abusers, poor problem solvers, distrustful, out of touch with their feelings, unable to maintain relationships, codependent, shame-filled, suicidal, and so on.
The focus was on written or audiotaped material used by persons with various problems (bad habits, fears, depression, poor skills) without regular contact with a therapist or a teacher--typical self-help material, like this book summarizes.
Self-help groups for other types of codependents are available in some cities (call Codependents Anonymous at 602-277-7991).
Fairburn (1995) has developed a science based self-help program for overcoming the binge eating.
Group Cognitive-Behavioral treatment of Binge Eating Disorder: A comparison of therapist-led versus self-help formats.
Caesar Zedd, a renowned psychologist and best-selling author of a dozen self-help texts, all of which Junior owned in addition to the literature that he had acquired from the book club.
Next, you need to realize that more than 2,000 self-help books are published each year.
While publishers grind out their 2,000 new self-help books every year, they do not print general, broad scope, introductory self-help textbooks for teaching students to prevent or cope with common personal problems.
Most have not, as yet, been translated into self-help methods, but that is probably not far off.
The first step below, selecting a self-help project, gives you several suggestions for overcoming your reluctance to try to change.
Matsakis (1992) and Allen (1995) provide self-help for getting over a trauma.
When we say that every person must help him/herself, it is crucial, in order to be fair, that every person be provided the self-help knowledge and opportunities he or she needs to succeed.