The Origins of The Modern Self-Improvement Industry: Protestant Roots and Capitalist Fruits

Imagine a hunter-gatherer exclaiming he’s taking his life into his own hands and is now going to become a solo hunter.

They had a drought, so he commits to visualizing only good weather next season because, you know, his thoughts create reality.

Self-development has become a popular pursuit in contemporary society, focusing on personal growth, self-improvement, and achieving one’s full potential. I will go as far as to say that it’s almost a moral imperative to be into personal development. At the very least, signal you’re doing so.

Read any self-development or business mindset article, and you will find phrases such as:

• Unlock your full potential and lead a more fulfilling life.

• God helps those who help themselves.

• The instant you accept responsibility for everything in your life, you acquire the power to change it.

  
  

And my personal favorite:

I’M A SELF-MADE [fill in the gap]

Sorry to break it to you, Twitter bros, but you’re not self-made. I am no fan of using the word privilege because I think it’s overused, but god damn, this is such a privileged language I cannot bear reading it anymore.

The message of self-improvement boils down to personal responsibility:

• Your life isn’t going well? It’s on you.
• You’re overweight? It’s your choice, obviously.
• You don’t have a six-figure business online? It means you’re complacent.

Nothing else can or will be questioned if your philosophy is hyper-individualised. In this perspective, the individual is at the center and forefront of everything.

This got me thinking: where did these ideas originate from?

Protestant Reformation, apparently. Yes, our ‘rational’ society, which doesn’t buy into the man-in-the-sky scenario, preaches the ideas stemming from the 16th-century Western Christian movement.

Quick Pre-reformation History

Before the Reformation, the seeds of self-development can be traced to the humanist movement, which emphasized education, critical thinking, and personal achievement. The emphasis on personal growth and self-fulfillment continued to evolve within the context of the Reformation.

As a result, the idea of self-development began to merge with the theological and philosophical discussions of the time. Individuals not only sought spiritual salvation but also recognized the importance of personal growth, education, and self-improvement as a means to enhance their lives on Earth.

The Roots of the Protestant Work Ethic

The Protestant Reformation, led by figures like Martin Luther and John Calvin in the 16th century, brought about a significant shift in religious thought and practice.

One of the key tenets of Protestantism was the emphasis on individual faith and personal responsibility for salvation. Unlike the Catholic Church, which promoted salvation through sacraments and rituals, Protestantism urged believers to take control of their own spiritual destinies through personal faith in God.

This shift from intermediaries in religious practice laid the groundwork for the concept of individual empowerment and autonomy.

This was the essence of the Protestant work ethic. Central to it was the belief that work and worldly success were signs of God’s favor and one’s own salvation. In essence, hard work and prosperity were seen as evidence of a virtuous life.

The Self-Development Industry: Personal Growth as a Virtue

Fast forward to the modern era, the idea of individual empowerment is everywhere.

The self-help industry, anything from books, seminars, courses, and motivational speakers, is all geared toward helping individuals achieve ‘their best’. At its core, self-development encourages people to take control of their lives, set ambitious goals, and continuously improve themselves.

One of the main tenets of this industry is the emphasis on personal responsibility and hard work. Just as Protestantism asserted that one’s faith and salvation were personal responsibilities, self-development teaches that:

Individual success is a matter of personal effort and determination.

The pursuit of self-improvement and the achievement of goals are often framed as virtuous endeavors, mirroring the Protestant belief that hard work and prosperity are signs of divine favor. A similar sentiment is around today - implicitly, successful people are viewed as better and more virtuous because of everything they achieved.

New Age Thought and Its Connection

Moving forward in history, we arrive at the phenomenon known as New Age thought. New Age thought encompasses a wide range of spiritual and esoteric beliefs, holistic healing practices, and a strong focus on personal transformation. If you ever heard about manifestation and the Universe having your back, this is New Age speak. It moved away from the belief in God and instead created a curious mix of both God and self-responsibility.

You’re the sole creator of your world and reality, you’re a powerful manifestor and everything you want CAN be achieved if you just want it bad enough. That means clearing out your limiting beliefs, stepping out of your comfort zone, raising your energy, and, most importantly, buying whoever’s telling you this, of course. In cases where you don’t get what you want, it means the Universe has a better plan for ya.

So, on the one hand, your life is a direct reflection of how hard you work on yourself, and on the other hand, the Universe (God) is still there to catch you when you fall. A convenient belief if you ask me. But completely disregards at least a thousand other variables.

The New Age movement also shares some common themes with Protestantism, particularly in the realms of individual exploration and the quest for personal meaning. Both movements encourage individuals to look within themselves for answers and to seek spiritual fulfillment on a personal level.

While the language and practices may differ, the underlying emphasis on individual empowerment and the pursuit of a higher purpose aligns with Protestant ideals. Except now we have to navigate a terrain full of wacky, eccentric, narcissistic, self-involved online coaches.

Modern Capitalism: The Fruit of Hard Work

Although it seems unrelated, capitalism is highly intertwined with the personal development industry, too. The sort of language people who’re selling you courses (to help you sell courses to others) use is 6-figures this, 5-figures that, this student of mine quit their 9–5 and began making millions $ online, etc. We see the idea of success and ‘making it on your own’ being sold as a virtue.

Just like in Protestantism, in capitalism, the system rewards those who work hard, take risks, and innovate, providing opportunities for individuals to amass wealth and achieve success. The idea is that success in the material world is a direct reflection of what a good (wo)man you are.

As in,

Your ‘goodness’ is directly correlated with what you achieved.

This attitude played a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape of countries with strong Protestant traditions, such as the United States and many European nations. In these societies, the pursuit of economic success was often seen as a reflection of one’s dedication, discipline, and moral character — values deeply rooted in Protestantism.

But Rima, What’s Wrong With Taking Responsibility For Your Life?

This a difficult one personally because

a) I used to be a coach.
b) I used to believe this to my core.
c) There’s a part of me that still believes it, and the amount of times I catch myself thinking something’s wrong with me “when I don’t take responsibility” is too much.

In some sense, there’s nothing wrong with this statement. It does give you a sense of autonomy over your life. This chaotic, ever-changing existence of ours feels more graspable if you can take responsibility for how you view it, right?

But for me, this has manifested as:

• A delusional sense of having control in my life and anxiety when I feel like I don’t (spoiler alert: I don’t have control most of the time, even of myself. I can’t even control what thoughts and emotions arise, but that’s a topic for another article).
• Overwhelmed by all the different ways and courses promising to teach me ‘the ultimate way to self-responsibility.’
• Shame and guilt — for being a person. For having reactions and emotions, for wanting to eat a cake when “I shouldn’t,” and for refusing to use icky, manipulative sales tactics I discuss in this article. Have you ever noticed the manipulative AF language of the “self-made” folks online? If you pay for the course and you don’t start making five figures, it’s because something’s wrong with YOU. You didn’t put in the work, clear your shadows, or manifest well enough.

Another “fun” fact is that I stayed in an abusive relationship longer than I should have (2 years longer, lol) because I had an array of spiritual beliefs related to karma and other stuff that essentially said I must have brought this onto myself. But I derail.

The mindset of the personal development industry is essentially:

Everything is on you.

So Who’s Responsible, Really?

Placing the sole responsibility on one individual is nonsense. It completely disregards one’s country of origin (how many manifestations coaches do you know from the slums of Africa vs. white girls in their abundance hats indoors?), family, mental health issues, neurodivergence (the world is most suited for neurotypical folks let’s admit), access to education and opportunity, etc.

I also believe this hyper-individualized philosophy is what created the loneliness epidemic and further divide between classes. If you’ve made tons of money online and someone didn’t, it’s easier to believe that your hard work was the determining factor — other people chose to be ‘lazy.’

The belief of

• they didn’t want it hard enough
• they didn’t try hard enough
• they didn’t put in the work

is a lazy way of explaining why you made it. I believe that all those ‘self-made’ people have put in the work. I do. But there’s no fucking recognition that, for one, out of many privileges was that they spoke English — so they had access to this insane amount of info online and access to an English-speaking audience.

Living with a belief that everything is on you is stressful. It’s isolating. It’s ridiculous. When I see successful people online saying how taking responsibility for their lives got them there, I panic.

Because I have been doing personal growth (since I was 12, mind you), I have been putting in the work, doing therapy, coaching, investing in courses, books, seminars, ‘clearing my blocks’ etc. And I’m currently not making five figures a month online. I couldn’t say I’m not trying hard enough either 😂

Conclusion

The self-development industry and modern capitalism have strong ties to the values and principles of the Protestant work ethic. The emphasis on personal responsibility, hard work, and the pursuit of success can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation, where these values were foundational to one’s spiritual salvation. While the influence of Protestantism has evolved over the centuries, its legacy persists in the current philosophy.

But this philosophy further perpetuates inequality, contributes to self-esteem issues (if others made it, why can’t I — what’s wrong with me?), and distances us from other people, from communities.

I don’t know what the answer is, really, but it has become glaringly obvious to me that the current self-development industry is a pyramid scheme. The truth is, the world is chaotic and complicated, and no one ever makes it on their own.

P.S. This is something that I’ve been hanging my mind on recently. I say changing because it’s not made up. I think there’s a lot of nuance regarding this topic.

I didn’t know why, one morning seven months ago, I woke up and decided to quit coaching, but now I do. I wanted to coach people and make 6-figures a month, but I couldn't get myself to use these sales tactics. So, I thought I was failing as a professional and quit. Being steeped in the belief that ‘everything is a reflection of my inner world,’ I thought I must have money blocks and was a bad coach.

My intention with this article wasn’t to call out individual people but rather the industry as a whole. It has become so icky, so isolating, and so elitist. Maybe it’s always been that way. But the idea that a person working three jobs to put his kid through school hasn’t aligned their chakras to create reality makes me roll my eyes.

I want to reclaim coaching as something accessible to everyone, not just successful online talking heads offering 6-figure a year ‘masterminds.’

Also published here.