A Unifying Theory of Self-Help

by phil on Wednesday Apr 29, 2009 10:09 PM
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Over on Self-programming I wrote an article proposing a unifying theory of self-help:

Here's a unifying theory for self-help from an avid fan of the genre. What is it that you actually get when you purchase a self-help book? Most likely it will deliver on four value categories: Empowerment, Kinship, Tactics, and Creativity. Whether or not self-help delivers on its promise for personal change, there is a reason people keep coming back (to the tune of $11 billion spent on self-help in 2008).

Comments

Squidhelmet said on April 30, 2009 6:04 PM:

This is sorta the point I was trying to reach the other night (the part about it being a huge industry)

That's the part that seemed strange to me about that book you described which lumped AA together with other self-help books. It's sorta like throwing in a non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling service with Suze Orman - their goals are just so different (even though they might outwardly appear to be the same).