George van Ness Dearborn
Self-help refers to self-improvement that is self-guided improvement in a number of directions that may include economic, intellectual, or emotional / psychological vectors. Concepts that are common in self-help culture include 'recovery', 'dysfunctional families', and 'codependency'. Self-help books are a popular genre, and have been available to readers for more than a century, including advice on everything from how to manage a household, to fix the plumbing or build a brick wall, to how to deal most effectively with one’s children.