Spring Break
Help me, help yourself
Laura Griffith/Verge Editor
Issue date: 9/9/05 Section: The Verge
Although they may not always be accepted as a means of counseling in academic psychology, self-help books are helping people help themselves through popular literature.
These books deal with problems ranging from sexual relationships to study skills and can be found throughout Booth Library and in special sections at most book stores.
The bottom line is "people need help," said Russell Gruber, psychology professor. "Everybody has some kind of problem."
One area people desperately tend to seek help in is relationships.
"Relationships drive people crazy," he said. "They have to read about them."
"He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which came out in 2004, was one of those books. It attempted to help its readers stop analyzing the opposite sex so they could move on from unhealthy relationship situations.
"The Dance of..." series by Harriet Lerner, PhD covers topics such as anger, intimacy, deception and wounded souls.
Other popular self-help topics include eating disorders, depression and a variety of "For Dummies" books about topics such as computers, scrap booking and wine.
Books by Dr. Phil are especially popular with self-help readers at The Book Nook in Mattoon, said owner Diana Sullivan.
"It's a growing margin," Sullivan said.
Many customers between the ages of 18 and 30 come in and peruse the self-help section, for how-to books dealing with home improvement, cooking and more.
"If they're pregnant, a lot of times they are looking for parenting guides," Sullivan said.
Booth Library doesn't have a section designated for self-help books, but a student can find them mixed in with the rest of the collection.
Most of the people who read self-help books from Booth are usually getting them for class or to help themselves get a job as they get ready to graduate or find internships and jobs, said Jocelyn Tipton, reference librarian.
"A lot of the books that circulate are resume building, test-taking and career planning," Tipton said.
Some of these books can be found in the reference section and in other areas, especially psychology, she said.
"Self help is kind of a funny area in psychology," Gruber said. "You don't know if they're really scientifically sound or really off the wall."
That's why, according to Gruber, the library doesn't dedicate a section to the books.
Using self-help books is a form of bibliotherapy, which dictionary.com defines as using carefully selected materials for therapy or to help one's self solve personal problems.
Some self-help books might have a negative effect on their readers, but some make the reader feel that he or she is not the only one in the world with that problem, he said.
"It really depends on which books you're reading," Gruber said.
While people with serious problems should look into seeing a professional, Gruber suggests that people who have more minor problems get online and see if a book sounds interesting.
These books deal with problems ranging from sexual relationships to study skills and can be found throughout Booth Library and in special sections at most book stores.
The bottom line is "people need help," said Russell Gruber, psychology professor. "Everybody has some kind of problem."
One area people desperately tend to seek help in is relationships.
"Relationships drive people crazy," he said. "They have to read about them."
"He's Just Not That Into You" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, which came out in 2004, was one of those books. It attempted to help its readers stop analyzing the opposite sex so they could move on from unhealthy relationship situations.
"The Dance of..." series by Harriet Lerner, PhD covers topics such as anger, intimacy, deception and wounded souls.
Other popular self-help topics include eating disorders, depression and a variety of "For Dummies" books about topics such as computers, scrap booking and wine.
Books by Dr. Phil are especially popular with self-help readers at The Book Nook in Mattoon, said owner Diana Sullivan.
"It's a growing margin," Sullivan said.
Many customers between the ages of 18 and 30 come in and peruse the self-help section, for how-to books dealing with home improvement, cooking and more.
"If they're pregnant, a lot of times they are looking for parenting guides," Sullivan said.
Booth Library doesn't have a section designated for self-help books, but a student can find them mixed in with the rest of the collection.
Most of the people who read self-help books from Booth are usually getting them for class or to help themselves get a job as they get ready to graduate or find internships and jobs, said Jocelyn Tipton, reference librarian.
"A lot of the books that circulate are resume building, test-taking and career planning," Tipton said.
Some of these books can be found in the reference section and in other areas, especially psychology, she said.
"Self help is kind of a funny area in psychology," Gruber said. "You don't know if they're really scientifically sound or really off the wall."
That's why, according to Gruber, the library doesn't dedicate a section to the books.
Using self-help books is a form of bibliotherapy, which dictionary.com defines as using carefully selected materials for therapy or to help one's self solve personal problems.
Some self-help books might have a negative effect on their readers, but some make the reader feel that he or she is not the only one in the world with that problem, he said.
"It really depends on which books you're reading," Gruber said.
While people with serious problems should look into seeing a professional, Gruber suggests that people who have more minor problems get online and see if a book sounds interesting.
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