The first self-help book, in its more modern form, was published in 1859 by Samuel Smiles and was appropriately named, Self-Help. Today the name can refer to all sorts of self-improvement, usually with a psychological component.

I’ve been thinking about the stigma attached to the term self-help. It seems that as much as we shy away from it, we also seek it. In fact, it’s all around us – the urge to improve and address problems in our lives. In a word, we want change.

But change isn’t easy. Silicon Valley takes a decidedly technical approach – lots of measuring and rules. Mainstream media, however, utilizes story. In particular, television is currently immersed in a self-help renaissance of sorts. I did a survey of the landscape recently and came up with these examples of self-help on television.

Also in the same genre, Enlightened on HBO.

Notice anything?

In general, these shows seem focused on the key problems of life: health/weight, relationships, money, or career.   Also, they all take the same approach to presentation – they use the classic hero’s journey.

Further, there seems to be a migration lately from the larger universal problems to the more niche issues – like hoarding. Does this hint at the coming personalization of self-help?

I’d argue the combining of story and technology is essential to realizing relevant and sustainable change in the self-help industry.  A potentially perfect medium is an interactive ebook.  Which makes you wonder what Self-Help would look like if it was published today.

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