Self Help is Bullshit

A ‘life-coach’ anti-hero exposes the ‘Laptop Lifestyle’ Opportunists for what they really are.

Demolishing the Illusion: Unmasking the Fallacy of Self-Help

Self-help, a multi-billion dollar industry, has long been peddling promises of personal growth and transformation. However, a comprehensive analysis of proven studies exposes the hollowness and deceptive nature of self-help practices. Let’s dismantle the myth of self-help, shall we?

1. The Lack of Scientific Validity: Despite the abundance of self-help literature and programs, the field remains largely devoid of empirical evidence supporting its claims. In a critical review conducted by J. K. Sweeney and colleagues (2016), it was found that a majority of self-help books lacked scientific rigor and were filled with pseudoscientific theories, hyperbolic poetics, metaphor, and anecdotal evidence. Such shortcomings cast serious doubt on the validity and credibility of self-help as a legitimate approach to personal development to reach into the trench of unique personal struggles and emotionally/mentally destructive patterns an individual faces day-to-day.
2. The Persistence of False Hope: Self-help often thrives on creating false hope and perpetuating unrealistic expectations. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology by L. A. Nunes and colleagues (2018) revealed that individuals who engage in self-help practices tend to overestimate their abilities and subsequently experience higher levels of disappointment when they fail to achieve desired outcomes. This cycle of false hope followed by disappointment can be detrimental to individuals’ mental well-being, eroding their confidence and self-esteem. There is little to no language surrounding what someone should do to course correct significant personal barriers or to heal nervous system patterning that can inhibit their ability to simply “set an intention,” “focus, ” and “don’t give up.”
3. The Role of Cognitive Biases: Self-help relies heavily on cognitive biases and placebo effects to create the illusion of effectiveness. A research article by E. J. Neeleman and S. H. de Ridder (2018) highlights that self-help strategies often capitalize on cognitive biases such as confirmation bias and the illusion of control. (A prodominantly masculine desire usually threaded in trauma as a means to protect the wounded — one that typically goes entirely unaddressed by “mindset” work.) These biases create a subjective perception of progress and improvement, despite the lack of objective evidence. This exploitation of cognitive biases further exposes the manipulative nature of self-help, rendering it an ineffective and deceptive practice.
4. Neglecting Critical Qualifier Issues: Self-help often promotes an individualistic approach, focusing solely on personal responsibility and internal factors. However, this disregard for systemic issues undermines the potential for true personal growth and societal change. Research by R. P. McDermott and J. M. Webster (2017) demonstrates that addressing systemic factors and social support systems have a more profound impact on well-being and personal development than individual-focused self-help strategies alone. By ignoring these critical factors, self-help perpetuates a narrow and inadequate understanding of personal growth being a matter of either the mind OR the body. These are not separate systems and the study of healing as such is an archaic liability to the personal development field.
5. Gatekeeping of the Ultimately Intrinsic. The name ‘self-help’ implies it all, it suggests that one is able to help themselves — with one minor condition, your submission to a manufactured “key,” “answer,” “hack” or “secret,” produced by an online gatekeeper who is hoping you’ll add to cart & checkout the furthering of their laptop lifestyle. The door to it swiftly positions some “coach,” guru, or mentor at the top of this ‘must-have’ knowledge. In order to attain your desired outcome to better, longer, faster, and more (that lies within your ability at all times) is kept just out of reach for those who do not have $2,000–5,000 (on average) to cough up for an online course, a mastermind group, an inner circle, or group coaching program. It relies on the guise that one believes they do not have the answer or complete capability to facilitate self-inquiry, discovery, repatterning, and maintenance their entire life’s journey from start to finish. It positions you to further drive a belief of learned helplessness and dependency under the hope that you don’t figure out you didn’t need a credit card to learn this shit.

Self-help is built upon a foundation of pseudoscience, false hope, and gross ignorance of the full-bodied, highly nuanced, and intimate nature that is one seeking their highest potential life experience.

Happy self-helping humans.

Your favorite ‘life-coach’ anti-hero.

XX

In your corner,

Kara