Self-Help Dangers & Possiblities

[everywomanshero]

Self Help & the criterion of truth
In grad school I've picked up some thing regarding the criterion of truth, critical thinking, and how to conduct a proper meta-analysis. This is relevant because A) There are some great Slef-Help resources B) Many guys here read Self-Help or consider it C) There are some terrible self-help resurces, I recently evaluated a sample of self-help books found at a large, retail bookstore.

What I discoverd is that many books contained "research discussion" based on studies that were either never published by a peer reviewed journal or that were not referenced at all, giving no way to verify the methodology.

Many authors had the initials PhD next to their name. In some cases there was no University given. In other cases, the University given was not aan accredited institution. Some U.S. authors who claimed to be "therapists" had never been licenced to practice in any state.

If these authors claimed to be philosophers, I think there could still be something to be said. Unfortunately, and in many cases, they are claiming to provide scientific data & interpretations of such data. I have found many of these books are not based on properly collected scientific data, and many provide "research" claims that cannot be replicated.

So how can one find a good self-help resource, IMO? 1) Check out the authors credentials. Is he an legitimate authority on the subject or a television evangelist? Does he/she have a PhD from a legitimate, accredited institution? Not all subjects have an acedemic following, but one can still ask: Is he/she great at performing <X>, has this been verified? Is he/she respected by knowledgable members of the field? 2) Has the person ever been convicted of fraud or barred from doing business in a state? Think am joking? Some of the people you see on late television have been through this experience! 3) If "studies" are discussed, are references provided to give proper credit where it is due, have the references' results been consistent with other, similar studies, & allow you to verify the author's interpreation of the data. 4) If all of this has held up, chances are the resource will at least be based on solid information. Some resources by nature will not pass muster and require a leap of faith. For example, it is unlikely that the "references" of a man that claims to have slept with 500000000 twin models will be given =).

Practice: Look up the credentials for the following people

John Gray author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

David J Lieberman author of Never be Lied to Again

Kevin Trudeau author of Debt Cures they don't want you to know about

 

[thehexman]

What you say is 100% correct. The self-help industry is a magnet for all those who want to scam money away from people who probably are (for the most part at least) to some extent desperate for the solutions to their problems. However, do the letters PhD or Dr. followed by an accredited university say anything about the quality of the book? I think not. In fact, I've found that some of the best self-help books are biographies for example, which give insight into how important people of the past and present thought about and valued their situation.

Any good book can be a self-help book, you just have to find it. It's just most of the time I don't find them in the self-help section.

 

[Nip/Tuck]

Most of the DJ bible is total crap. Most of the advice and self-help material on this site is wrong. The best way is to read from people who are successful. Sosuave is like getting financial advice from a random person on the street, you might get lucky and find a billionaire or end up with a homeless.

 

[thehexman]

Most of the DJ bible is total crap. Most of the advice and self-help material on this site is wrong. The best way is to read from people who are successful.

Just what I said.

And also guys look at this: Senior Fingers, in one of his threads, clearly explains that he became really succesful in his pursuits after he found his own style and was himself.

However, he used information on this page to start off. So, yes, the DJ Bible is total crap, from a certain point of view.

 

[Nip/Tuck]

Just what I said.

And also guys look at this: Senior Fingers, in one of his threads, clearly explains that he became really succesful in his pursuits after he found his own style and was himself.

However, he used information on this page to start off. So, yes, the DJ Bible is total crap, from a certain point of view.

My bad. I should add that one bad thing about self-help is that you get so caught up with it that you forget to get feedback. Most of the "Don Juan" here read but don't apply it to practice in real-life by actually meeting chicks. So without real experience they will be stuck in that level.

 

[Nip/Tuck]

Exactly.

It's all fine and well reading up and assuming they're fully-fledged pimps, but trying it out in the real world is a whole other ball-game. I guarantee the first few times you go into clubs all this shyt leaves your head.

You shouldn't be sarging at clubs buddy, that's where women go with their friends to get attention. Their b*tch shield are up and it's really difficult to pick them up. However, it's a good place to practice openers and getting rejected so you will get used to it. From personal experience low-quality women tend to go there a lot too, I went clubbing everyday for a week. I always saw the same type of people.