Why Seek Self-Help?
A glance at several best-seller lists, including The New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly suggests that concerns about weight loss and diet (The South Beach Diet), finding the meaning of life (The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren), and pregnancy (Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth, by Jenny McCarthy) are some motives for people to buy self-help books. On the other hand, people who look for self-help groups or online support groups often do so because they want to connect with others who are going through the same problems, says Edward J. Madara, director of the American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse. The most commonly shared troubles, he says, have to do with illness, addiction, bereavement, disabilities, and parenting.
