From self-help to community connection: New book by Chichester academic explores issues in self-help industry

A psychology academic from the University of Chichester has written a book analysing the self-help industry – and warns about the pursuit of wellness from books and over community connection. 

Dr Bruno De Oliveira, lecturer in psychology, penned ‘The Self-Help Industry: Is the Self-Help Industry Really Helping or Are We Being Misled?”, which is released this month. 

It is a critical examination of the industry, which often presents ‘a watered-down version of practical theory’ for profit. 

“You have a lot of gurus without any qualifications or accountability, providing people with unsolicited advice and without the context,” said Dr De Oliveira. “If you’re buying books or watching Instagram gurus and then your life doesn’t change, you’ll think ‘there’s something wrong with me’.” 

The work criticises the one-size-fits-all approach of the self-help industry and highlights how it can reinforce unrealistic expectations and leave people feeling inadequate.  

“It is watering down something that academics are debating and then selling that to people who are in need or searching for something,” Dr De Oliveira said.  

The context is important too. He says if you told a homeless person to meditate in order to solve their problems this would be seen as ‘crude’. But this one-size-fits all approach is being sold to the masses in the same way – without nuance or context. 

“Sometimes people are using self-help and deviating from professional help,” he adds. “But therapy it is about relationships, and it’s about mattering. If you feel you matter and add value, that is empowering.” 

He added that loneliness is a problem which won’t be solved through reading a book or a coaching course, and the book includes case studies and examples of how community connection and social prescription can help give people purpose. 

“When it comes to environmental issues or climate anxiety, it is empowering feeling to take action and feel like you’re making a change,” Dr De Oliveira said. “There’s a wellbeing aspect to it, working with other people, collectivising issues, and thinking ‘it’s not just me feeling that’.” 

In the book, Dr De Oliveira advocates for a shift toward collective, systemic approaches to empowerment, calling for a focus on community, social justice and liberation.  

The Self-Help Industry by Dr Bruno De Oliveira is out now and is available to buy here.