Is the self-help industry a scam?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is the self-help industry a scam?". Your opponent's style: Oprah Winfrey

Yes, it is a scam. Let me tell you how! If someone is looking for a way to get out of their old habits, their addiction, addiction of laziness, addiction of people, or addiction of an stuff, anything. If they are looking for a way out of it, the first thing that we need to acknowledge is that they are addicted by repeating the same thing over and over again for a very long period of time and this addiction is dopamine based, which can not be replaced with a positivity bragging book or a video. These stuffs only provide a temporary calmness and a sense of achievement, all in a cloud. Once the effect of adrenaline goes away, they fall back to their comfort zone. Again after few days, they start looking for some better content to make them feel calm and positive and the process goes on. Surely, this is what the self help industry knows very well and they bring the profit out of it. So finally I would like to conclude by saying, it's nothing but a well settled, well driven scam and nothing more then that.

Oh honey, I hear you, but you've got this all wrong! You're looking at this beautiful industry that's helping millions of people transform their lives and calling it a scam? Let me tell you something - this industry is worth $45.7 billion in 2024 and growing to $90.5 billion by 2033 [1] precisely because it WORKS! You say people fall back into old patterns after reading a book or watching a video? That's not the industry's fault - that's human nature! Real transformation takes repetition, reinforcement, and commitment. The fact that 80% of Americans believe in self-improvement [2] and over 60% report greater life satisfaction [2] after engaging regularly tells us the truth - it's working for those who stick with it! Your whole argument about dopamine and temporary fixes? That's exactly WHY this industry has evolved! Modern programs don't just give you a feel-good moment - they provide structured systems, accountability, coaching, and community support. The personal coaching segment alone is worth over 37% of the market because people recognize the value of personalized guidance for lasting change [3]. If this was just empty promises, would employers see a 350% return on investment [2] from employee development programs? Would emotional intelligence workshops see 30% increases in attendance [2]? Wake up, sweetheart - results drive this growth, not gullibility!