Self Help Material

[Percy]

[Percy]

I mentioned Carol Dweck in an earlier post.

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An outstanding video which highlights the pitfalls of the self help world. I don't think it's a reason to give up or forget about self help but the issues raised in this video should be kept in mind.

[Percy]

Another warning about the potential flaws of the self help industry.

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[Shy_pretty_Angela]

Was looking at my Amazon order history yesterday which dates back to 2008 and realise that i used to order a lot of self help books. they were largely superficial for me unless I had a therapist too/

I think you need a lot of motivation.

[Percy]

Originally Posted by Shy_pretty_Angela

Was looking at my Amazon order history yesterday which dates back to 2008 and realise that i used to order a lot of self help books. they were largely superficial for me unless I had a therapist too/

I think you need a lot of motivation.

Motivation is very important. One of the criticisms of self help is that it requires you to take action, which is something most people find very difficult to do.

[Percy]

[Jen.]

Originally Posted by Percy

Motivation is very important. One of the criticisms of self help is that it requires you to take action, which is something most people find very difficult to do.

This is the same as any kind of in-person therapy too. It's an uncomfortable truth a lot of the time, but all help is self-help really, nobody can fix anything for anyone externally, and improvements always require effort and repetition from the user. I suppose the difference when a therapist is involved is that they can explain concepts that someone might have difficulty understanding themselves, monitor progress, give feedback and encouragement. I always get the impression that a lot of self-help books are written with the sole aim of making the author money. Not that making money from publishing shouldn't be an aim, it should, but the market is flooded and most seem to be basically one page of advice padded out for 200 pages. They also might not even be related to the thing someone is actually having trouble with, e.g. a book about "overcoming social anxiety" might be completely useless if there's something like undiagnosed ASD or a personality disorder, etc, but a good therapist would be able to spot that and not let someone carry on down a fruitless and disappointing path.

[Percy]

Originally Posted by Jen.

This is the same as any kind of in-person therapy too. It's an uncomfortable truth a lot of the time, but all help is self-help really, nobody can fix anything for anyone externally, and improvements always require effort and repetition from the user. I suppose the difference when a therapist is involved is that they can explain concepts that someone might have difficulty understanding themselves, monitor progress, give feedback and encouragement. I always get the impression that a lot of self-help books are written with the sole aim of making the author money. Not that making money from publishing shouldn't be an aim, it should, but the market is flooded and most seem to be basically one page of advice padded out for 200 pages. They also might not even be related to the thing someone is actually having trouble with, e.g. a book about "overcoming social anxiety" might be completely useless if there's something like undiagnosed ASD or a personality disorder, etc, but a good therapist would be able to spot that and not let someone carry on down a fruitless and disappointing path.

Good post.

Yes, it is a basic fact that a lot of therapy is really self help in that it does require effort on the part of the patient. It can be a very uncomfortable truth since change for anyone is a difficult undertaking. Some argue a therapist is better since, like you say, they can monitor progress, explain concepts and give encouragement. Which is true. Self help has it's advantages too, it can allow you to be in control of your development, is relatively inexpensive compared to private therapy and doesn't require you to wait like in NHS therapy, it is customizable so you can fit it into your own frame work of personal development needs. It also allows you to work on your issues privately, without the need for input from other people.

Sadly like you said it is also about making money. The self help industry is a $13 billion industry. Often a lot of the advise could be condensed into a smaller package. Also as you rightly pointed out a therapist would be able to diagnose underlying issues such as autism.

Despite these flaws I still think there's a lot of potential help in self help, you just need to be aware of it's limitations and how to compensate for them. I wouldn't have started this threat if I thought otherwise.

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