The scientific article briefly analyzes in a historical retrospective the issues of the formation and development of the institution of self-defense of rights and legitimate interests, starting with the Digest of Justinian and ending with today. The emphasis in the article is made on the need to study the issues of self-defense of the legitimate interests of citizens, as a little-explored side of this institution. At present, it seems important and timely to distinguish between subjective law and legitimate interest in the framework of the study of the constitutional right to self-defense. In addition, the article touches upon the problems of improving the institution of self-defense of rights and legitimate interests in the framework of out-of-court dispute resolution. The author makes a proposal to amend the article 12 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation related to the protection of both legal rights and legitimate interests.