OnlineBookClub.org

Self improvement books are popular since Dale Carnegie, Napoleon Hill etc came in to writing and more authors still appear. Some people think they are really effective while some others say only the authors of such books are benefited by them. What do you think?

one can get improvement by own thinkings after that intensions made ones to change strongly then books play role

I think self help books can be great for idea's but can be dangerous when people try to live by them.

Self-improvement books are great as long as people take what they need from them, but don't start using them as laws to live by.

Too, they're often helpful when people don't have anyone to turn to for advice or are too shy to talk about an issue they're having.

Well for me, I don’t have any objection or negative views. It can be a form of inspiration and guidance.

Confident level is increase while reading a books and sure attitude will change.

Thanks.

Personally I think they're ridiculous. I have a friend who reads them all the time for any problem she comes across, I say give the problem a little thought before you just go and live your life by a book. Now if you're just going to use it for a reference or a few ideas, fine. But people who expect these books to solve all their problems have more problems than they realize.

Erm... I don't want to just bash them, they have to be of some use, or surely they'd die out. But I don't think, if you have a difficulty that you would go to the trouble of finding a book to help you fix, that the book alone can fix it. I think they can surely be useful, depending on the subject, but I would imagine only in conjunction with additional help from a person can the problem really be solved.

I also have a brief story to support this. I used to volunteer at my library a year or so back, and one day I was checking in some returned books with our computer. I checked in about five such self-help books on the subject of punctuality, time management and general organizational improvement. The books were three weeks overdue. How I do love irony.

I definitely benefit from them. Some ideas might have to be modernized, but in essence remain true. All in all, a book that helps you stay positive is always good.

The Mythwriter wrote:Erm... I don't want to just bash them, they have to be of some use, or surely they'd die out. But I don't think, if you have a difficulty that you would go to the trouble of finding a book to help you fix, that the book alone can fix it. I think they can surely be useful, depending on the subject, but I would imagine only in conjunction with additional help from a person can the problem really be solved.

I also have a brief story to support this. I used to volunteer at my library a year or so back, and one day I was checking in some returned books with our computer. I checked in about five such self-help books on the subject of punctuality, time management and general organizational improvement. The books were three weeks overdue. How I do love irony.

It's not the book in and of itself that is 'fixing' anything. It's the way you perceive and take in the information that is in the book, and the way that information is given to you that helps you to overcome. But yes, if a person thinks that by just reading the book your problem is going to miraculously 'fix' itself, then that's a delusion. But yes, they do help. Because of a lot of reading (not just self-help, but spiritual books too) I came to really know myself and like who I was (and am) because i actively worked on myself and sort of became my own psychologist in a way.

I never really understood the stigma surrounding self-help books, and how they are associated with 'sad people' trying to fix their problems. I find some of them interesting reading; based in research, and some of them are motivational and give you a new, interesting perspective on life, or teach you new things. So I like them, but just like anything, they have to be written well and researched well to be enjoyable.

I personally think another persons ideas and input are crucial for self improvement and these books offer facts and help and i feel they are very effective

I'm not a huge fan of self improvement books as I learned in a psychology class that they generally don't work or help a person out that much. That being said, I don't knock a person for reading them. Sometimes just reading a book can be helpful during a certain situation in life.

I have to be in the right mood and the topic has to be relevant to me. Some self-improvement books are great and others get bogged down in dry language and long boring passages.

Seems that if you have read one you have read them all. At some point the strength and desire has to come from within.