For a time, it seemed there were no more experts in self-help.
What's that, you say? What about all the authors mentioned on this blog? What about Dr. Phil?
But perhaps you have noticed our global publishing tendencies have buried the good stuff in heaps of undistinguishable e-books, blog posts, and even large publisher books that are not well-edited (or sometimes not even read through by the publisher--yikes!) If your temperament puts you on the attention-deficit spectrum, you can waste a lot of time reading advice that is repetitive, derivative, or hypocritical. Conversely, you can skip some things that might be truly worthwhile.
For example, how do you choose what to read, or how to look at it, when you pick up a magazine that purports to curate the best self-help from experts?
It doesn't take long to notice that Oprah magazine's 'experts' are sometimes thoughtful or reassuring, and other times odd and unrealistic, with their ideas. If you are under 50, you can file these away as being entertainment as often as helpful advice. If you are old enough to appreciate Dear Abby, clip and save, or send, the relevant columns you find in self-help. But don't take them too seriously.
At the other end of the popular self-improvement magazine spectrum is the more scientifically-oriented Psychology Today, which elucidates some fascinating everyday phenomena such as sociopathic behavior, without being too dry or wordy. But not everything in PT is research-based. Some of it is impressionistic and abbreviated, if thought-provoking. You can read it to 'keep up' with psychology, but do think for yourself.
Oddly, I came across a memorable article on how to get over a disturbing event in Refinery 29, an online magazine I usually experience as a source of interesting hair advice(!) It featured an interview with a psychologist and a life coach. The wisdom presented by the former was right on, and was given more space than the usual short quote. The behavioral suggestions by the latter seemed like they would need the addition of some training in self-hypnosis to work. All in all, though, a nice surprise.
Likewise, I recently gave a second look to a book for women on dating... by a young male entrepreneur. When sharing my positive impression of the book--which is basically a Dale Carnegie approach to how to have a better love life--I raised the hackles of a more politically-correct colleague. "If men behaved better, women wouldn't have any dating problems... " or words to that effect. A fascinating subject for debate.
One of the benefits of having access to practically anything on the internet--and having things constantly pitched to you there--is that you get to be surprised by the sources you have to consider. The temptation--or need--to give attention to all kinds of sources these days reminds me of Jerry Springer's (prior to scripted reality television) candid defense of the presentation of people fighting on his show: "These people are actually just being really honest."
So perhaps the challenge in looking for self-help these days is in doing our own assessment of the honesty of what falls across the computer screen, the doctor's office coffee table, or the real or virtual self-help bookshelves.
Be discerning, but not a snob.