self-help

[self-help, self-]

noun

1. the act of providing for or helping or the ability to provide for or help oneself without assistance from others.

2. Law.,  the act or right of remedying a wrong, without resorting to legal proceedings.

3. the acquiring of information or the solving of one's problems, especially those of a psychological nature, without the direct supervision of professionals or experts, as by independent reading or by joining or forming lay groups that are devoted to one's interests or goals.

adjective

1. of or relating to a book, article, home study course, or the like, offering an individual information or counseling intended to be personally beneficial or profitable.

   self-help books on overcoming shyness.

self-help

noun

1. the act or state of providing the means to help oneself without relying on the assistance of others

2. 1. the practice of solving one's problems by joining or forming a group designed to help those suffering from a particular problem

   2. ( as modifier )

      a self-help group

Other Word Forms

• self-helper noun
• self-helpful adjective
• self-helping adjective
• self-helpfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-help¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

This VTW self-help option will help you to have federal taxes withheld timely, reducing the potential of owing federal taxes at the end of the tax year,” the agency said.

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They’re categorized too neatly as a punk band from Whittier, but they’re actually a movement: Southern California’s most raucous self-help program and hardcore band.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In his results analysis, Berenberg analyst Nick Anderson commented favorably on management’s self-help strategy of investing in its brands, rather than short-term margin protection.

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I have written a textbook on food addiction, obesity and overeating disorders, and, more recently, a self-help book for people who have intense cravings and obsessions for some foods.

Read more on Salon

He listens to self-help tapes and goes out with coworkers for karaoke, where he belts out Atomic Kitten’s girl-group smash “Whole Again” without a trace of irony or self-consciousness.

Read more on Los Angeles Times