Introduction
Self-help programs share a common bond with more traditional entities
in that organizational success seems to be predicated on a mix of certain key ingredients
like leadership, training, and customer satisfaction (Kaufmann, Ward-Colasante and Farmer,
1993; Cole, 1995). However, because self-help groups place a high premium on principals of
informality, equality and non-reliance on professionals (Van Tosh and del
Vecchio, In
Press), as they evolve into service delivery programs they are almost certain to face what
might first appear to be a Hobson's Choice: do they resist change out of fear of
compromising their values, even if it means cutting back or closing up shop, or do they
"mature" and take pragmatic steps to transition into more active and viable
organizations (Harp and Zinman, 1994)?
In addition, though, self-help group members must find creative ways to help each other
deal with the underlying problems that brought them together in the first place. Self-help
is as effective as it is because in the process of learning how to help themselves, people
seem to discover that they also have the power to help themselves by helping others - both
inside and outside the core group (Roberts and Rappaport, 1989; Chamberlain, Rogers and
Ellison, 1996). Gartner and Riessman (1984) refer to this as the "helper's
principle." According to Zinman (1987), mutual support is the very essence of
self-help.
