self-help

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

self-help
    n 1: the act of helping or improving yourself without relying on
         anyone else

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Self-help \Self`-help"\, n.
   1. The act of aiding one's self, without depending on the aid
      of others.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Law) The right or fact of redressing or preventing wrongs
      by one's own action without recourse to legal proceedings,
      as in self-defense, distress, abatement of a nuisance,
      etc.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   3. developing one's capabilities or solving one's own
      problems, especially psychological problems, without the
      assistance of a professional, by independent study or by
      association with other individuals having similar
      interests.
      [PJC]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Self-help \Self`-help"\, a.
   of, pertaining to, or useful for the process of developing
   one's capabilities or solving one's problems; as, self-help
   books on writing for profit.
   [1913 Webster]