The self-help concept among Arab professionals in Israel

This study explores the meanings associated with the term "self-help" among Arab professionals living in Israel. Several themes surfaced as the most prevalent: problem-solving; help obtained from non-professionals; self-help groups; mutual help; emotional support; and the individual meaning, which refers to one's ability to solve one's problems and to rely on one's strengths and resources. These data are compared with recent findings obtained by using the same instrument with a representative sample of the general Arab population living in Israel. First, they are examined within the context of a particular minority culture which is constantly interacting with the cultural values of the Israeli-Jewish majority and which is undergoing a change from a traditional system of values to a modern western one. Second, the universal and particular attributes of the self-help phenomenon are outlined. Third, the initial developmental stages of self-help organizations within the Arab population living in Israel are discussed.