15 Dec Neoliberalism and self-help – Part 1: How Neoliberalism Fueled the Self-Help Movement
The modern self-help industry didn’t just appear out of nowhere, it’s at least in part the product of a particular historical and economic philosophy: neoliberalism. Emerging in the late 20th century, neoliberalism prioritised individual responsibility, market freedom, and personal productivity as the ultimate measures of success. And while those ideas transformed economies, they also quietly reshaped how we think about happiness, success, and even our sense of self.
When political leaders like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher championed the free market in the 1980s, they also spread a subtle cultural message: you are the entrepreneur of your own life. Governments reduced social spending, job security declined, and people were told that their prosperity and wellbeing were up to them alone. Within that context, the self-help movement exploded. Books like Awaken the Giant Within and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People told readers that mindset, discipline, and personal agency could overcome almost any obstacle.
And at first, it felt liberating. Psychology shifted from a focus on pathology to potential — from Freud’s couch to the motivational seminar. Positive psychology, spearheaded by researchers like Martin Seligman, sought to study happiness, resilience, and flourishing. People were hungry for empowerment, and the idea that you could “optimise” your life through the right habits or affirmations resonated with a culture built on individual performance.
But beneath the optimism was a deeper alignment with neoliberal ideals. As sociologist Eva Illouz notes, self-help became a “technology of the self”, teaching people to regulate emotions and productivity in ways that aligned with market values. The body, mind, and time were to be managed like assets. The self-help industry became a multibillion-dollar marketplace offering everything from productivity apps to mindfulness workshops — all emphasising you as the solution.
Science added legitimacy. Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and positive psychology all provided evidence-based tools that promised transformation. But the social context — widening inequality, precarious labor, and shrinking public safety nets — was rarely part of the conversation. Instead, stress, burnout, or unhappiness were reframed as personal failures of mindset rather than structural outcomes.
In short, neoliberalism didn’t just fund self-help; it defined its language. It told us that fulfilment was something to be achieved, not shared — a project of individual optimisation rather than communal care … (continued).