the act of providing for or helping or the ability to provide for or help oneself without assistance from others.

Law . the act or right of remedying a wrong, without resorting to legal proceedings.

the acquiring of information or the solving of one's problems, esp. those of a psychological nature, without the direct supervision of professionals or experts, as by independent reading or by joining or forming lay groups that are devoted to one's interests or goals.

of or pertaining to a book, article, home study course, or the like, offering an individual information or counseling intended to be personally beneficial or profitable

self-help books on overcoming shyness.