Self-help books

Pop-psychology sweeps the bestseller lists as people seek therapy from books

Robert Natt / senior photographer Senior Jennifer Surface leisurely reclines to read a self-help selection from her pile of books.

"How to Make Anyone Fall in Love with You," "Talking with Confidence for the Painfully Shy," "How to be a People Magnet," "Speed Dating," — the options are endless in the self-help aisle.

A growing form of popular psychology, self-help books claim to assist a society that is capable of bandaging its own wounds. Self-help literature claims to provide readers with solutions and advice for a plethora of ailments, character flaws and topics such as maintaining healthy relationships, battling anxiety and parenting skills With the current selection, no topic is too trivial to merit a manual. It wouldn't be shocking to come across a self-help book aiming to ease its readers' reliance on … self-help books.

"Many self-help books are this generation's snake oil products," Lennis Echterling, professor and coordinator of the counseling psychology program said. Their cure-all, life-altering appeal is based only at times on legitimate research, according to Echterling.

Sales figures for adult books indicate that 63,834,000 psychology/recovery books were sold in 1998, accounting for 6.3 percent of total adult book sales, according to a report by the American Booksellers Association at www.bookweb.org.

So, what's the appeal? Why do millions of people buy into this pop psych trend?
"People are generally curious to find out about themselves — everyone's got problems," senior Susan Kim said. The sense of self-reliance and self-diagnosis that such books allude to, makes them a tool of personal empowerment for many.

"Examining yourself always has benefits, regardless of the mode," senior Judy Bruen said. The themed chapters of Alice Potter's "The Positive Thinker's 10 Commandments," urged Bruen to evaluate herself in different scenarios and consider more positive angles to seemingly negative situations, she said.

Junior Jason Robey agreed, "Just the fact that you're evaluating yourself is a positive thing." The appeal of several self-help books, according to Robey, is their approachability. "They put things in terms people can actually understand," Robey said.

Many self-help books fill the pages with layman's terms to appeal to a more general audience rather than using medical or psychological jargon. Senior Mike Krieger found a relationship book to be an enjoyable read. "It was very helpful and down to earth," he said. "It definitely made me more confident. It was divided up well and answered every question I had."

Michele Kielty Briggs, assistant professor of counseling psychology, said, "Sometimes, academic and scientific people tend to write in a dense fashion. The appeal of [self-help books] is that they're user friendly — people can make sense of the information in them." Self-help books can be most helpful when the information is based on credible research and translated into understandable terms, she said.

Manuals enable readers to take an active role in changing attitude or behavior. They provide explanations of why people act as they do and offer procedures to bring about favorable results. While some books target a specific trait, others claim to tackle a broad spectrum of conditions. For example, "Ten Days to Self-Esteem" by David D. Burns, Ph.D, touts, "In 10 exciting steps you will learn to defeat depression, develop self-esteem and discover the secrets of joy in daily living."
Attached to this packaged solution is a sense of simplicity, control and confidence that some don't buy into. "I don't believe a person's life can be improved by reading a book," senior Megan McDermott said. "It's a temporary solution unless you make positive life changes."

McDermott has read a few self-help selections, including an inspirational, spiritual guide to increasing satisfaction with life. "It was really helpful and reaffirming as I read it, but applying it to everyday life is almost impossible," she said. "I only read it when I am down about a situation and need to be uplifted — that everything will be alright. But I don't use it as a tool for my life."

The concept of helping oneself through such an extensive, accessible resource is encouraging to many. But, others are skeptical of the viability of a genre targeting the vulnerability of its audience.
"I think the entire genre is a little silly and hyped up," junior Julie Marsh said. "Some [self-help books] might help people, but for the most part they tend to make people overanalyze their own problems and issues."

Manuals soliciting improved, enhanced mental functioning aren't always grounded in scientific studies. "If people are going to use a self-help book, they should do some research on the author to see if they have credentials, experience in the profession and that their research is based in solid theory or research," Briggs said. "Some authors do publish credible material, which is grounded in solid research, in the form of self-help books."

When readers aren't discriminating enough about the origin of works they read, it's easy enough to be drawn into the an eye-catching cover, snazzy packaging or titles found on best-seller lists.
Little to no collaboration is involved in independently tackling one's problems. Psychological consultation fees are spared, along with the interpersonal communication and personalized feedback that accompany more social or professional means of therapy. "Nothing substitutes for a one-on-one relationship, if someone is struggling with a serious issue," Briggs said.

Echterling agreed that the interactive aspect is lacking in self-therapy. Without application to everyday life, he said, "It's kind of like learning to play tennis from a book."

Books like "Never Good Enough: How to use perfectionism to your advantage without letting it ruin your life" by Monica Ranirez Basco, Ph.D, display cover claims like, "The book worked like a year of shrink sessions," (Cathi Hanauer, Mademoiselle), suggesting that digesting the book is a bypass for formal therapy.

Robey said, "So many professionals (doctors, therapists, psychologists) are over-priced … and in some cases over-rated." Lines of self-help books may act as a check for health professionals. "It takes some demand for professionals out if people have another cheaper option," he said.

Others contend that the many claims of quick fixes for personal inadequacies are a way to avert professional consultation for more serious problems. For many, there is a certain stigma attached to seeking assistance and acknowledging what may be embarrassing or unfavorable personal flaws and afflictions.

"I think people go to books because they don't want to go to a person," Kim said. "Self-help books could serve at least as a starting point for people to discover if they've got a problem and then go from there," she said.

Briggs suggested that an optimal route for dealing with serious afflictions, like depression, would include consulting professional help augmented with credible books. "A lot of practitioners would suggest books to compliment their work with clients — they can work together."

Proceed with caution is often the advice from psychological professionals. "There are some very helpful books out there that address specific problems and situations," Echterling said. "When I was in private practice, I would regularly recommend a book for a client to read as part of the treatment process."

"Many of my clients benefited from reading and discussing books that offered useful and practical information," he said. "But, when a pop-psychology book's promises sound too good to be true, then be cautious."