Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

"Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz explores the concept of self-image and its impact on an individual's personality and behavior. The book introduces the idea that each person has a self-image, a mental blueprint that influences their actions, feelings, and abilities. Maltz argues that by changing one's self-image, it's possible to change their life.

Key Concepts

• Self-Image: The mental picture you have of yourself, shaped by past experiences and beliefs. [cite: 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 5, 6, 7]
• The Self-Image Can Be Changed: It is possible to change your self-image at any age and thereby start to live a new life. [cite: 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622]
• Cybernetics and Goal-Striving: The book draws on cybernetics to explain how the brain and nervous system operate as a goal-striving mechanism. [cite: 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 212]
• Imagination and Achieving Goals: Maltz emphasizes the power of imagination in creating “synthetic experiences” to achieve goals. [cite: 30, 46, 535, 536, 537, 65, 84]
• Importance of "Experiencing": The self-image is changed through experiencing, not just intellectual knowledge. [cite: 514, 515, 516, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 84]

Changing Self-Image

Maltz details how plastic surgery led him to the discovery of the self-image. [cite: 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656] Changing the physical image often led to changes in personality, but he also noted cases where this didn't happen. [cite: 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31] This led him to realize the importance of the non-physical "face of personality" or self-image. [cite: 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475]

The book also covers:

• How to utilize the power of rational thinking. [cite: 5]
• Relaxing and letting your success mechanism work for you. [cite: 5, 78, 79]
• Acquiring the habit of happiness. [cite: 5]
• Ingredients of the success-type personality. [cite: 5, 60, 61]
• How to remove emotional scars. [cite: 5]
• Do-it-yourself tranquilizers for peace of mind. [cite: 6]
• Turning a crisis into a creative opportunity. [cite: 6]

Maltz's work provides a framework for understanding and influencing human behavior, emphasizing the potential for individuals to achieve a fulfilling life by understanding and working with their self-image.