Chemical and physical principles to achieve self healing (SH) polymers with shape-persistent and multiple healing properties are reviewed, focusing on recent literature of the past similar to 10 years. The interplay of different healing principles in one and the same material, together with principles to achieve shape-persistent SH polymers (microphase segregation, cluster formation, nanofillers/nanocomposites, shape-memory effect) is discussed citing similar to 80 references. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.