Women readers of self-help books: The role of interpersonal factors in behavior change

摘要

Self-help books are a type of media communication that not only give information (a cognitive process), but that also can provide interpersonal support. Interpersonal processes identified in 10 women's reading practices were explored in the light of intersubjective theory. This research was unique both in what was explored--the interpersonal--and the scope of the inquiry, which included both reading practices and readers' "interpersonal context," their friends and supportive others. The primary hypothesis was that interpersonal factors were significant to behavior change.;The focus was on readers' process (not product) of change through reading, and the role of the interpersonal: readers' imagined relationship with the author, readers' friends and supportive others who formed an interpersonal context for their reading, and other women's stories in the book.;Readers made significant behavior changes after reading a self-help book. Prior to the change each experienced a life crisis that caused her to conclude that life could not continue as it had. When asked which factors in the book were significant in their behavior change, readers identified six factors: a radically new perspective--often an opposite one--on their problem, exposure to the experience of others (in anecdotes), education/tools, recognizing the importance of taking small steps, the person of the author, and seeing the big picture. When asked, all but 1 of the women acknowledged having a sense of relationship with the author that at times included a sense of being known or understood (intersubjectivists call this "recognition.") Three of the 10 women had never before felt understood in this way, and stated clearly that this understanding was a significant factor in subsequent change.;All but 2 of the women had significant interpersonal support (the interpersonal context) during their behavior change and believed this support helped them change. Key advantages of self-help books over therapy included the lack of interpersonal demands required by reading, the reliable nature of the book (it said the same thing every time), readers' ability to regulate stimulus from the book, and the heightened sense of self-efficacy that came from solving a problem themselves.