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Tuning In

Self Improvement

The Autobiography of Samuel Smiles (by Samuel Smiles)
Self Help (by Smiles, Samuel)
The Constitution of Man (by George Combe)
Ralph Waldo Emerson (by Emerson, Ralph Waldo)
Emerson's Essay on Compensation (by Emerson, Ralph Waldo)
Hints on Self-Help (by Jessie Boucherett)
The Will and the Way : A Guide to Self H... (by Wende, Leo C. (Leo Conrad))
Culture By Self-help in a Literary, an A... (by Waters, Robert, 1835-1910.)

A quick stroll down the aisles of any bookstore will reveal entire sections dedicated to self-help. Defined as “the use of one’s own efforts and resources to achieve things without relying on others,” the self-help industry rakes in $11 billion per year in America. Beyond being recession-proof, this unregulated industry is also forecast for more growth—5.5% annually, according to marketing expert Brandon Gaille.

The self-help industry mainly appeals to middle-age, educated women who are eager to empower themselves with information in the form of e-books/books and audio, seminars, websites, motivational speakers, life coaches, workshops, infomercials, and more. Topics encompass entrepreneurship, happiness, financial success, spirituality, weight loss, and more. Many corporations also place an emphasis on self-help books for training purposes.

Although it may seem like this is a relatively new category, the phrase “self-help” can be traced back to 1859, when Scottish author Samuel Smiles introduced a book titled Self-Help. Bringing him immediate notoriety, the book promoted thrift and claimed that poverty was very often the result of irresponsible habits. It also denounced materialism and laissez-faire government.

Even earlier, Victorian phrenologist George Combe wrote The Constitution of Man and Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote Compensation—both of which can be classified as self-help.

Some of the most popular best-selling self-help titles of the modern era include Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen; Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray; How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie; and, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.

Some of today’s popular self-help gurus include Tony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, Stephen Covey, and Suze Orman.

While self-improvement is big business in the United States—a country the population of which values self-reliance, individuality, and social mobility—it’s also gained ground in Brazil. Topics tend to focus upon religion/self-help and include healthy eating and dieting advice. Self-help books top the best-seller lists in Canada.

Forget New Year’s resolutions. September is National Self Improvement Month, so now’s the time to start exploring the possibilities that abound. For more on self-help, tune into Jessie Boucherett’s Hints on Self-Help; The Will and the Way: A Guide to Self-Help and Self Development by Leo C. Wende; and Culture by Self-Help in a Literary, An Academic or an Oratorical Career by Robert Waters.

By Regina Molaro