The Nature of Self Help

by Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW, DCSW

Self help has become an important part of American life, with literally thousands of self help organizations and groups, involving as many as 20 million people. But what is self help? Self help doesn't mean not getting help from anyone else. In fact, it means just the opposite: actively seeking help, and accepting it once found.

In its most limited sense, self help is simply one person helping him or herself. But, as increasingly meant, "self help" embodies a set of ideas and ideals that go far beyond the simple fact of people helping themselves one at a time.

The Self Help Movement

Self help refers to a movement -- a collective consciousness in which people (not professionals, but the people experiencing the need for help and support) find some way to get together and act on their own behalves, as individuals and as a collective. The idea and meaning of self help today embraces an ideology, an ideal, a practice, and a way of life.

The "ideology" is that people can help themselves and thus take control over, and responsibility for, their own lives.
The "ideal" is that in helping themselves, people can also provide help to others.
The "practice" is one of the free and mutual exchange of ideas, information, support, and resources.
The "way of life" is one of both individuality and mutuality, in which people reach out to one another to give and receive help, and enrich and empower their own lives, and the lives of others, in the process.

Ironically, although self help fosters independence and non-dependence, it also fosters community and mutual inter-dependence. In reaching out and connecting with others, the benefits are for everyone as well as the individual.

Forms of Self Help

There are many forms of self help, but most typically we refer to the kinds of groups, organizations, and collectives that exchange ideas, information, resources, and support among members. The list of such groups is almost inexhaustible and includes:

advocacy groups that support certain ideas or oppose others, such as those against drunk driving or those in support of home schooling
activist groups that promote social change, such as environmental protection
political groups that build popular support and empower people to influence local and national politics
personal support and information groups for:
- every imaginable kind of addiction
- the victims of life threatening and crippling illness and disabilities
- the victims of violence and abuse
- the bereaved, divorcees, single parents, and others needing special help and support
- parents of children with special needs or behaviors that are difficult to manage
- families in which there is physical illness, mental illness, or addiction
- people with life styles that are significantly different than the general population

The Nature of Self Help

In fact, self help organizations and groups cover an incredible range of health, social, spiritual, philosophical, and political issues and concerns, and many fill different roles, such as providing support and advocacy for a cause. But these groups all have several things in common:

self help is based on the idea that people are not alone, tying people together in a cooperative network
help is given by the same people who receive and need help, and not by professionals
there is a non-elitist attitude, in which anyone can give help
the person getting the help also has the opportunity to give help
there is an emphasis on the strengths and skills of everyday people, rather than their weaknesses and deficiencies
help is free
there is a voluntary exchange of help, in which individuals are in charge of the help they get and give
help is often highly personalized, emphasizing the links between people in the self help community
people can help themselves, and people in the self help network are actively taking charge of and responsibility for their own lives

Summary

Self help has changed the fabric of life for many people. Less people seek and depend solely upon professional help for problems in their lives, such as mental health, physical health, and addiction, and many turn towards self help groups instead of, or as well as, professional help. In fact, professional help and self help interact and intersect with one another in many ways, and many professional health and social service organizations have built in, and depend upon, self help organizations to help them in their work.

In the end, self help means taking charge of getting help, getting the kind of help you most want and need, and how you use the help. Most of all, it means accepting responsibility for the quality of your life and the things you do to improve it.

"Only connect." - E. M. Forster

References:

Banks, E. (1997, Fall).

"The social capital of self-help mutual aid groups."

Social Policy, 28. 30-39. Gartner, A., & Riessman, F. (1998, Spring).

"Self-help."

Social Policy, 28. 83-84. Humphreys, K. (1998, Winter).

"Can addiction-related self-help/mutual aid groups lower demand for professional substance abuse treatment?"

Social Policy, 29. 13-15. National Self-help Clearinghouse. (1999).

"Self-help is more than support groups."

Available: www.selfhelpweb.org [1]. National Self-help Clearinghouse. (1999).

"What is self-help and how does it work?"

Available: www.selfhelpweb.org [1]. Patterson, J. (1998, February 24).

"Self-help movement finds room to grow on Internet."

Las Vegas Review-Journal, p.1E.

About the Author:

Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW, DCSW [2] is the author of "Understanding, Assessing, and Rehabilitating Juvenile Sexual Offenders," the eight books in "The Healing Journey" series of self help journaling books, and two books in the "Therapy Homework Planner," series, all of which are published by John Wiley & Sons. He is the Clinical Director of the Stetson School, a long-term residential treatment program for sexually reactive children and juvenile sexual offenders.

Originally published 11/09/99 Revised 11/05/08 by Marlene M. Maheu, Ph.D.