This article introduces the notion of self-help as a unique form of self-directed learning that contains the inherent capacity to span the life-cycle. Self-help refers to the process that occurs within small, voluntary, peer-run, mutual aid support groups that offer the opportunity to overcome or cope with a common concern or problem. (JOW)

Comparison of nineteenth- and twentieth-century promotion of self-help learning shows that the aim and outcome can be socialization and order rather than social advancement and autonomy. Successful self-help schemes are rarely based on self-help alone, which calls into question the morality and financial wisdom of promoting a concept without…

Although the origins of self-help groups can be traced back to early history, the self-help movement as we know it today began almost 50 years ago. Approximately 15 million Americans currently belong to about 500,000 different self-help groups. Adults in transition are likely to seek both formal and informal sources of help when faced with…