The Cult of Productivity: A Critical Discourse Analysis of American Self-Help Literature

In recent years, the United States has seen a significant increase in the popularity of self-help books driven by the growing societal demand for enhanced personal productivity. The rise of productivity culture in America is closely tied to historical factors and intertwined with religious, political and social changes, as well as changing public attitudes. This paper examines the influence of self-help literature and its discourse on the formation of the cult of productivity in the United States. The leading research method is a critical analysis of the discourse of American motivational literature in accordance with Fairclough's) three-dimensional model (1995) based on the material of five self-development books. The study shows that contemporary American self-help literature transmits a diversity of authors' outlooks on productivity and its achievement. The results obtained will be practical for socioculturologists, philologists, linguists, as well as authors of manuals on self-development in a society based on the value of productivity and personal growth.