Subgenres of self-help literature

Nowadays , self-help books are at the peak of popularity.

Such a type of literature is not new, as books, aimed at helping people, has been
known since Ancient Greece and Romу. They were written by philosophers.
Nonetheless, the genre of the literature for self-help or self-improvement as we see it
now appeared in 1859. That was the year when Samuel Smiles published his “Self-
Help” book. This work has given a name to this genre of popular science literature.
There is no clear definition of the self-help genre. Generally, it includes books,
focused on improvement of the self or written with the intention of helping people to
make their lives, either personal or professional, better.
Depending on the sub-genre of a self-help book, it can give readers advice on
how to overcome anxiety, depression, fear, obsession etc.; they motivate readers and
help them to boost their confidence, actualize themselves, improve communication
skills, learn how to manage their time, achieve success, earn your first million, and
even become happy. [ 1 ]

It is worth noting that a specific sub-genre of self-help books has given the entire
genre of self-help books a bad name. The reality is that self-help books can assist you
with improving your mental health and overall well-being, but you need to learn about
the complex nuances of the genre. [2 ]

Subgenres of Self - help literature

 Scientific Self-Help book

This genre of the book helps people not only to overcome addiction to drugs or
alcohol, but also to help people in their mental health. The most famous
psychologists, scientists invest their knowledge and wisdom in these books. Therapy
and psychology are self-help. Mental health professionals are to provide the tools so
you can start helping yourself. They aren’t meant to hold your hand forever. But just
help finf yourself.

 Clayton Tucker-Ladd - Psychological Self-Help

 Richard Wiseman's - 59 Seconds.
 Martin Seligman's What You Can Change and What You Can't.
 Weiten, Dunn, and Hammer's Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment
in the 21st Century.
 Santrock's - Human Adjustment
 Nevid & Rathus' Psychology and the Challenges of Life & and many others….

 Motivation and inspiration

In my opinion, these books are extremely useful. Sometimes we need a push forward.
At a time when we are sitting in trouble, not thinking about ways out of our way.

That's why at some point we need someone to remind us that we need to work hard to
improve our lives, and that's where motivational and inspirational books come in.

Some books include the following:

 Unf*ck Yourself by Gary John Bishop

 The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
 The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
 Crush It or Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk

 Education / Research
This genre of book makes your brain works, and it’s helpful. When you know what
your brain is doing, it can help you sit back and say, “Oh, this is what’s happening, and
I know some ways to make my brain do something else that doesn’t spiral me into a
depressive or anxious state.” There are a ton of books that are just heavily based in
research and simply educate you on different psychological and neurological subjects.
These books don’t provide many practical solutions for you to use, but they’re
educational.

 Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

 Good Reasons for Bad Feelings: Insights from the Frontier of Evolutionary
Psychiatry by Randolph Nesse
 The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty by Simon Baron-
Cohen

 Stories

For someone it is better to read and learn with the help of stories. Some of these books
intertwine some great education on mental health and psychological subjects as well.

 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and

Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
 The Buddha and the Borderline by Kiera Van Gelder
 The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales by
Oliver Sacks

 Self-Help Psychology

These books are written by some of the best psychological researchers in the world,
and many of them also teach at prestigious universities like Stanford, Yale, Harvard
and more. Each of these books provides exercises and activities you can use to improve
how your brain functions to decrease depression, anxiety.

 The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression,

One Small Change at a Time by Dr. Alex Korb
 The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and
Life by Shawn Achor
 Changing the Stories We Live By by Timothy Wilson
 The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at
It by Kelly McGonigal

 Self-Help Therapy

If you can't afford therapy or don’t have access? Some of the best therapeutic
techniques out there are outlined in books.

 How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything — Yes

Anything by Albert Ellis
 Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder by Blaise Aguirre and Gillian
Galen
 A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters by Steven Hayes
 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Techniques for Retraining Your Brain by Jason
Satterfield

List of references
1. Self-help books as a type of literature: general characteristics and genesis.

2. https://medium.com/assemblage/the-complexity-of-the-self-help-book-genre-
192ed67eee4a

3. https://book-genres.com/self-help-definition/
4. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/33KewgYhNSxFpbpXg/scientific-self-help-the-
state-of-our-knowledge
5. https://qz.com/1106341/most-women-reading-self-help-books-are-getting-advice-
from-men/