self-help

From self- + help.

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self-help (uncountable)

1. The practice of bettering oneself without relying on the assistance of others.

   a self-help book

   • 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings‎^[1], New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 91:

     Look at the self-help titles in the bookstore, and you'll get a few clues about our culture. They're all about aggression and acquisition. It wouldn't be at all surprising to see a book called How to Force your Will on Other People by Giving Them the Shaft and Fucking Them out of Their Money.

   • 2019 May 2, Nina Avramova, “When you should use self-help programs and when to skip them”, in CNN‎^[2], archived from the original on 13 June 2025:

     Amanda Straw estimates that she has read nearly 200 self-help books.

2. (law) An act of redressing or preventing a wrong by one's own actions rather than through legal proceedings.
   • 1892, W. Robertson Smith, The Old Testament in the Jewish Church, page 340:

     Murder is dealt with by the law of blood-revenge, but the innocent manslayer may seek asylum at God's altar. With murder are ranked man-stealing, offences against parents, and witchcraft. Other injuries are occasions of self-help or of private suits to be adjusted at the sanctuary.

   self-help repossession

• (act of bettering oneself): self-improvement