---

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 3317 • Posted: Wednesday May 14, 2003  

---

Self-Help Stars
Forbes.com, May 13, 2003
http://www.forbes.com/
Dan Ackman and Jeff Bauer

NEW YORK – When the Rev. Eric Butterworth, once a wildly popular preacher of self-improvement, died last month, his New York Times obituary quoted a 1987 Forbes story in summarizing his message: “That we alone have the power within us to solve our problems, relieve our anxieties and pain, heal our illnesses, improve our golf game or get a promotion.”

It was a thought that resonated then–and now more than ever. The 1987 story noted the huge size of the self-help market. But it turns out that that market had hardly been tapped. Butterworth’s successors have moved into publishing’s big leagues: Our new list of the top ten self-help stars includes authors whose books often outsell even blockbuster novelists.

While Butterworth himself may have been forgotten, his self-helping descendants like Suze Orman and Dr. Phil McGraw are everywhere, blanketing bookstores and the airwaves. Covering everything from personal finance to spiritual renewal–often all at the same time–they fill a deep-seated need.

“When a society is rich and triumphant, its people start to ask not just what can be had from life but how can I live a life that’s worth living,” says Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, whose own self-help book, Authentic Happiness (Free Press, 2002), was a bestseller.

Guiding people toward that goal can be quite rewarding–and not just in the spiritual sense. One mega-seller, Stephen Covey’s Andrew Weil), mission formulators (Covey), calendars (Richard Carlson) and yoga lessons (Deepak Chopra), along with a variety of others.

Orman and McGraw have their own television shows. McGraw and Covey have such huge followings that even their kids’ books have become bestsellers.

Sean Covey wrote his own book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, not to mention the associated workbook. Just as effective are the McGraws. Dr. Phil’s son Jay McGraw followed his dad’s Life Strategies and The Life Strategies Workbook with his Life Strategies for Teens.

While the bestsellers certainly help those who write them, one problem is the lack of proof that they help others, Seligman says. For example, self-help perennial Anthony Robbins’ techniques are probably good, but no one ever tests them, according to Seligman. But Americans aren’t waiting for the test results. Buyers of books, speeches, tapes and seminars are lining up.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Success Coaches Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Success Coaches Read Another Article Previous entry: After Next entry: Canadians losing their religion RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Success Coaches Most Popular Today Church of Scientology told to drop Churchill images I know the dark side of Scientology…I almost lost my friend when she became obsessed with it

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.