Is the Self-Help Industry a Sham?
- Kris J. Simpson
- 13 minutes ago
- 9 min read
As you scroll through Instagram, shamelessly bombarded by ads that have somehow integrated into your algorithm, you may have encountered advertisements claiming success through an incredibly simple, low-investment, step-by-step system guaranteed to resolve all your problems.
I receive advertisements for online self-help programs and books such as:
“Self Help for Men after Prison”,
“How to be a Boss B**tch”,
“Breastfeeding Made Easy”
You might be wondering how these ads were selected for me; I’m still wondering too.
The self-help industry, now revitalized under self-improvement, is far from a modern phenomenon. Its roots trace back to the insightful writings of Samuel Smiles in his seminal book, “Self-Help,” published in 1855. Long before that, ancient philosophers were diligently crafting works aimed at helping individuals unlock their potential and navigate personal challenges.
The Roman poet Ovid, who lived during the time of Emperor Augustus, wrote “The Art of Love” and “Remedy of Love,” both described by Eric Berne, in his book: “Sex in Human Loving” as “the best sex book.” Dealing “with practical problems of everyday life: where to go to meet girls, how to start a conversation with them, how to keep them interested, and…how to be sociable rather than athletic in bed” (I am still a little confused about the latter — more context needed).
I will highlight the obvious — that Ovid was helping men be less athletic and more sociable, presumably to point out the differences between the sexes, well before John Gray, an American relationship counsellor, penned his famous self-help book: “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”
There are undoubtedly many who buy into the self-improvement movement. Still, it has also been a space where charlatans have set up shop to parasitically draw from the naïve before being found out and driven to the next town, where they set up shop again and repeat their show of deception. The term “snake-oil salesperson” is coined from Stanley’s Snake Oil, which in 1917, was sold as a treatment for arthritis of the joints. It was later discovered to contain no snake oil — the product and those who sold it were nothing but frauds.
What self-improvement literature needs is fewer shammers, more stories, and a greater demand for sacrifice from the reader.
Since my late twenties, I have explored the self-help space, initially inspired by one of its most iconic publications: Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” published in 1937. This seminal work outlines six steps to transform desires into reality. The book originated when Hill partnered with steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who tasked him with uncovering the patterns of success by interviewing some of the greatest entrepreneurs of the time, including Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, and Thomas Edison.
Rather than simply offering personal opinions, Hill presented a six-step process for success based on true stories from these successful figures, which lent the book significant validity. Additionally, he incorporated elements of psychology, referencing the power of the unconscious mind, thus adding an abstract, almost spiritual dimension to the book that enhanced its allure for me.
If you remember one takeaway or piece of gold from a book, you’ve got your money’s worth. What I remember most about “Think and Grow Rich” is the idea of sex transmutation, the idea of transforming our instinctual desire for sex into other endeavours, such as creative work and growing wealth. This reminded me of the medieval magical practice of alchemy, which focused on turning base metals into gold or finding a universal elixir. Energy is mutable.
A book that could be classified in the self-help genre and has radically transformed my life, as well as the lives of thousands struggling with addiction, is the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous. It reveals a 12-step process for those suffering from addiction to regain their sanity. It wasn’t the process that drew me into the program; the testimonial stories that make up most of the book convinced me my life could be changed through this program. In the “Big Book”, which is literally a large blue book, the steps are only loosely described in one chapter, quite different from a typical self-help book that spends most of its time pragmatically explaining the reasoning behind its process, yet often overlooks what the ancient Greeks referred to in literature and drama as “pathos”, or the ability to evoke emotion in the reader.
Addressing complex, nuanced issues of the self isn’t the same as baking a cake, where the instructions are generic and precise. I recognize the value in outlining a plan step-by-step; for some, this approach is the only way to muster the confidence to embark on an unfamiliar endeavour. Many individuals struggle with abstract concepts and feel lost, which undermines the purpose of self-improvement literature, which is meant to bring clarity to the reader.
However, to lead your audience to a new perspective outside themselves, creative works must evoke an emotional response if you wish for your message, advice, and instructions to have a meaningful and lasting impact. Neurologically, we understand that memories linked to strong emotions enable the amygdala and hippocampus in the brain to collaborate effectively and form stronger memories, thereby enhancing recall ability.
This is why I love autobiographies, which are often some of the best self-help books. They tell the true story of someone’s journey to success, often a rags-to-riches story or of someone who endured trials and suffering and, against all odds, was successful at what they set out to do.
Reading a good biography lets you embody the subject, feeling their emotions, struggles, and desires. The best biographies for me are the ones that have a cataclysmic failure followed by a comeback, which is a stage in the pattern of the hero’s journey, as described by Joseph Campbell, who wrote the “Hero with a Thousand Faces” revealing the consistent patterns from ancient mythical hero stories. Joseph Campbell’s steps of the hero’s journey were referenced by Hollywood producer Steven Spielberg when creating the epic movie “Star Wars” where Luke Skywalker, the ordinary man archetype, heeded the call for the hero’s archetype adventure and became an extraordinary man by the end of the film.
Many may protest against a story element in the self-help genre of books, as I have, believing it diminishes its directness. In many cases, the left hemisphere of our brain tends to discount stories, especially fictional ones, as meaningless, eager to rush to the point so it can return to the tasks of grabbing, acquiring, and holding, which is the primary function of the left hemisphere. Why tell a story when you can make your point with less effort?
Our right brain hemisphere, arguably the more intelligent hemisphere, works synergistically with the left hemisphere to derive meaning from metaphors and abstract examples in stories. This process has a more lasting and meaningful impact, fully engaging the reader’s emotions to keep them captivated.
Not everything needs to be implicit. Hidden meanings can have a much more significant effect, even when the subject isn’t aware of them. This could pose a challenge for the self-help author who believes they possess the magical formula to resolve the issue they have presented. However, leaving breadcrumbs, hints, and pointing towards the abstract can significantly impact the subject.
This is similar to the approach of Socratic questioning in the psychology of asking the right questions, which salespeople are also taught. I will never forget the time my friend, who had just started selling life insurance, convinced me to purchase a policy when I thought I never would. All he did was ask me a few key questions, and I convinced myself of the value of life insurance. The valuable lesson for me, in sales, writing and life, is not to rush to solve someone else’s problem. Instead, create a new environment, and sit with them in it.
By allowing individuals to resolve their issues and presenting the problem as a question, readers gain agency, which boosts motivation because they feel in control. It is more complex in writing and easier in conversation, but it can be accomplished creatively. With this approach, the question becomes a riddle that the subject cannot help but try to solve. Even if they shrug off the questions, we all know how the subconscious operates too well. The question lingers, repeatedly surfacing in your conscious mind, prompting attempts to answer it. If those attempts fail, the question will retreat into the subconscious but always persist.
In my writing, one way I like to give others a chance to help themselves is through acronyms, with each letter representing a piece of the puzzle that could assist them in solving their problem. It can be seen as elementary, but it offers an easy way to remember the “how to” in addressing the issue. If the reader only remembered the acronym, they could fill in all the blanks, creating a customized solution while using the foundation presented in the process.
In my first self-improvement book, “The All-Inclusive Diet,” which wasn’t a diet book but rather a guide to living a balanced lifestyle, I used the acronym F.E.A.R.S. as a way of addressing the impact our emotional health has on our physical health, while also representing the solution I proposed:
F-ood
E-motions
A-ctivity
R-elaxation
S-leep.
When preparing to write the book, “FRUITION — A transformative journey of self-discovery,” I intended it to be a non-fiction book based on the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance and the paradoxes in human behaviour. After studying Carl Jung’s work on archetypes and the unconscious mind, first laid out in his 1919 essay “Instinct and the Unconscious”, along with Joseph’s Campbells work on mythical stories, my non-fiction book evolved into a fictional story, having the protagonist’s be guided by a sage archetype in the form of a gardener who through using nature as a metaphor, imparts the essential lessons of the book: the importance of self-forgiveness, the strength found in courage, the necessity of embracing change, and the paradox of surrendering to truly win.
In his book “We Who Wrestle with God,” Dr. Jordan Peterson states that we perceive life through a story. So, the question is, what is that story? Through stories, we build what the ancient Greeks called “ethos” — the beliefs and aspirations of a culture. Therefore, to solve our most difficult problems — especially those of self — we will need the power of storytelling to make transformation possible.
Like all advice, whether based on evidence or mere opinion, the only way to assess its effectiveness is to experience it personally. Too often, individuals expect miracles from the guidance they receive, and when faced with challenges, they quickly give up. If they were led to believe it would be easy, they were set up for disappointment from the beginning. Furthermore, the generally low commitment needed for self-improvement — often just the cost of a book or an online course — poses little barrier for most.
However, it also demands minimal sacrifice. I am not advocating for an increase in the price of books and programs, but I’m certainly not recommending that they be discounted, as this diminishes their perceived value. Moreover, encouraging the reader to invest more effort in applying your advice and avoiding the illusion of a get-rich-quick scheme will motivate those seeking solutions to persevere through the process instead of surrendering or assuming that purchasing a book is all they need to change their lives.
We would never have been able to convince Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher known for the unity of opposites, the flux of life, and harmony through strife and war, that we could improve our lives through the advice of others. He was an extremist in this regard, opting to drop out of society and believing that understanding Logos, reason, and logic was to be found through internal reflection, not through the lens of others’ interpretations.
Assuming we are not prepared to live in seclusion and dedicate our lives to self-discovery, we can disagree with Heraclitus and see great value in the self-improvement space, specifically the books that outline the steps towards positive change. It is not a sham; these books have undoubtedly saved many lives and improved many more.
As with any industry where experts are called upon for advice, whether at your local mechanic shop or in the financial investment business, there will always be psychopaths on the perimeter who will attempt to get something for nothing, however, the minority does not cancel out the good that the majority is helping those with difficult-to-solve personal problems.
Can the self-help space improve? Yes, it can. We should call out the sham artists spreading false information and offering false hope to their audiences. Additionally, we should share more meaningful stories by embracing our creative side, recognizing that storytelling can intertwine with rationalism for a greater impact on our audience. Lastly, we should encourage our audiences to make greater sacrifices, not lesser ones, to achieve the improvements they wish to see in their lives.
When we step into this space as speakers, authors, and teachers, we take on a great responsibility. We help those ready to aim higher and change the story they will tell at the end of life. Our sacrifice inspires them to aspire.
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