Maxwell Maltz

Psycho-Cybernetics

1. IDEA 1

   Self-image shapes behaviour

   Maltz, a plastic surgeon, noticed that some patients still felt ugly even after successful surgery. He concluded that a person's inner self-image, more than outward appearance, shapes how they feel and act.

2. IDEA 2

   Surgery revealed the inner picture

   Maltz describes patients whose personalities changed after surgery and others who did not change at all. He linked the difference to their self-image. In his account, how a patient saw themselves mattered more than the change in outer looks.

3. IDEA 3

   The mind seeks goals

   Maltz compares the mind to a servo-mechanism, a device that steers towards a target by correcting errors along the way. In his view, the brain works like this when it is given a clear goal, adjusting its course as feedback arrives.

All 8 ideas from Psycho-Cybernetics →