Customer Reviews

Psycho-Cybernetics

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I don't make it a habit to read self-help books, but the off-color fitness guru Matt Furey has made a killing on selling a program based off of Maltz's work, and most other "motivational speakers" usually bend a knee in respect to Maltz as a forerunner. So I picked up a cheap used copy and read it cover to cover. The only question I have left is why anyone would bother with any of the other crap. This book effectively condenses the entirety of the self-help field. As far as I can tell, this is as good as it gets by the standards of the genre, is enjoyably accessible to a general audience, and has weathered time's attack on its relevance stunningly well.

Firstly, Maltz had the raw clinical experience necessary to write this kind of book. As a crackerjack plastic surgeon he saw immediately and firsthand the life-changing or life-stalling power of self-image at work in the faces of his patients. (And anyone who scoffs at unorthodox contributors to a research field ought to know that Albert Einstein was working for the Swiss patent office when he submitted the Theory of Special Relativity.) Yet Maltz also admits where exactly the limits of his knowledge lie rather than try to convince the reader of his omniscience.

Secondly, Maltz was receptive to many fundamental tenets of psychology and philosophy and works them into Psycho Cybernetics clearly and without contradiction. Nor does he try to repackage ancient metaphysical hokum with inane and feeble examples.

Thirdly, there are no workshops, special reports, live phone help, or products to buy. (Though I cannot speak for the organization that has cropped up around Maltz's name.) All pretense and exaggeration for marketing purposes seem absent from his book.

Maltz was definitive and unequivocal in his ideas, quick to set a standard and stick to it. He took seriously some very fundamental issues of life and makes clear statements. This book rises high above the haphazard pop philosophy/ethics smeared all over mass media which are either shallow and weak or imperiously stupid. Maltz simply faced the truth of his own convictions. Psycho Cybernetics by no means outlines life management skills as an exact science, but its frank suggestions are intellectually compelling. Overall, the book is worthwhile because Maltz' honest and non-condescending style at least earns your respect, if not your belief.

I really love this book...I have never read a book that contained such positive wisdom and helpful insights on how to be a successful person. Dr. Maltz was a plastic surgeon and a humanitarian, who truly cared about helping people. He had plenty of money being one of the few plastic surgeons of his day--He unselfishly wrote this book from center of his heart. I can't even think about it without getting teary-eyed! His principles are based on some of his psychological experiences as a plastic surgeon. He compared a low self-esteem as being similar to the facial flaws of his plastic surgery patients, and how you can fix your self-esteem to become a better you. He offers useful advice on how to avoid letting your negative thoughts make you a failure. He suggests how one's attitude alone can influence his/her success-level. He also has ideas on how to not let the hateful, hurtful things people say keep you from the success you deserve. His book healed me, and taught me that I have control over my life and destiny. Dr. Maltz passed away some time ago, but his compassion for countless others lives on.

This is the best book I ever read. I have read dozens of books on personal improvement, including "Think and Grow Rich", "Positive Thinking", "Law Of Success", "Master Key System" and other classics. But nothing can be compared to this one. This book has a message that is simple but had a powerful positive impact on my life. After reading and practising some of the concepts presented in this book, all aspects of my life have improved several-fold. Infact, I am stunned by some of the positive changes in myself, my abilities and my circumstances.

Napoleon Hill founded the laws of success, Dale Carnegie taught us how to win friends and Maxwell Maltz taught us how to live it all. This book has in my opinion, what 99.9% of books will forever lack - and that's common sense. There is no need for hype, Maltz speaks the truth which is refreshing in this day and age. He teaches (and in my opinion was the first to teach) the art of compassion, self- respect, relaxation, forgiveness and the art of being a professional human being. In this book you will learn that it doesn't matter how many success principles you know, that if you really want to change you must do so through the self-image -the foundation for all success. It is a book filled with wisdom, humor and hope. So if you want to change and live a better life overall, then buy this book. Take a knife and cut through the diddle daddle and motivation found in those other so-called self-help books. After all, how many other authors have 33 million copies in print over a 40 year life span? BUY IT!

I was a junior in high school. It was 1976 and my psychology teacher, Mr. Potashnik, required us to read "Psychocybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz. I let a lot of homework slip by as a junior, but this book I read. "Psychocybernetics" and my psychology teacher, inspired me. I suddenly felt empowered to do something with my life, besides graduating from high school and becoming someone's wife. I was 5 feet 4 inches and I weighed 102 lbs. I thought about becoming an airline stewardess because I wanted to travel the world, but instead I became a United States Marine. I never did serve in a war zone, but I am very proud of my 21 years of service as a Marine. More recently, my husband, also a former Marine, and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary. We have two beautiful children; a son who is a freshman in college and a daughter who is a senior in high school. I have a Master's degree from the Catholic University of America in Library Science and Informations Systems, and love life. "Psychocybernetics" started me believing in myself, and I have never looked back.

This is by far one of the best self help systems I have ever heard. I purchased the book on tape since I spend so much time in my car. That was about 3 weeks ago and I have listen to it 4 times already. It is easy to understand and I like the assignments that it gives in order to help you along.

I would recommend this reading to anyone who is having a hard time trying to find a way to start changing his or her life.

It's been decades since I first read this book - I'm now digging it out for a second read - but it identified some absolutely crucial aspects of the human mind that to my knowledge have either never been adequately presented elsewhere or never given the emphasis they deserve.

The analogy of the mind to a computer is dead-on accurate, with the conscious mind being the "programmer" of the subconscious; the subconscious being the machine-language "operating system" that just does what it's programmed to do, whether positive or negative. Absolutely brilliant and in a way frightening - in the fact of the sheer quantity of people walking the Earth who are utterly ignorant of that fundamental structure of their sole survival tool: their brain. The only other book this vital to human self-awareness is Rand's "Intro to Objectivist Epistemology" (and of course her philosophical novels.) These all fall into the category of "Goldmines of information that no one else - not your parents, your teachers, certainly not your preachers, your politicians, and sadly, even most licensed psychotherapists - will tell you."

Particularly enlightening - and applicable to so many vital situations in life - is Maltz' identification of the "21 day" phenomenon: the fact that the human mind takes almost exactly 21 days to adjust to a major life change, universally - whether it's a negative like a loss of a limb or a loved one, a change of employment or residence, or positive like entering into a new romantic relationship.
Ever wonder how many couples have broken up because after roughly three weeks the "magic" seems to have dissipated? How in ignorance of this natural aspect of the human mind they automatically assume there was something fundamentally flawed with their relationship? Sad, and so unnecessary.

Read this book if you haven't already, and discover how to operate the complex computational instrument that is your mind.

Forget the $100 motivational tape sets! This is where Tony Robbins and the other personal development gurus got there initial ideas. The author is a plastic surgeon who noticed that some people who had disfiguring facial scars and felt they couldn't face the world, didn't change their point of view even after reconstructive surgery. Some even insisted that their faces had not changed. Maltz realized it was the self-image we have of ourselves that is more important than the physical reality. This remaking of the self-image is the work of the book. Many very practical exercises. The author uses the analogy of WW-II torpedo guidance systems - the mind as a servo-mechanical mechanism (now we would visualize laser-guided smart missles) - that locks onto a goal and uses mistakes and setbacks only to adjust the trajectory and hone-in more precisely on the target. If we focus too much on our mistakes and errors we retarget our mind on the mistake rather than the desired goal. This book has exercises and images that can be used for greater understanding and real growth. An amazing kernel of wisdom from an era noted for its materialism and superficiallity!

I bought Psycho-Cybernetics nearly 30 years ago andit still has a special place in my library. As most everybody knows, Dr. Maltz was a plastic surgeon who became discourages when his patients showed no change in personality or happiness even after major plastic surgery. He thought that these people would be new and improved and they would be thrilled. It was t hen that he realized that while their outer selves had changed, their self image had stayed the same.

So Dr. Maltz went into research sudying what makes up the self image. The result is this book which is based on actual experiments with his clients. In short, after performing plastic surgery on his patients, he went to work on their self image as well and the difference was incredible!

Pyscho is of course short for psychology and cybernetics stands for helmsman. This cybernetic mechanism is goal seeking and it can be programmed. The problem is that most of us have been programmed negatively.

This book, the 29th printing, is 15 chapters and 280 pages. It is an easy and enlightening read and includes many exercises to complete which reprograms your cybernetic mechanism. If you haven's already read and studies this book, by all means do. If you already have, read it again.

Having read close to 100 books on self improvement,I wasn't expecting too much.Wrong...this is the best book on the subject
bar none.Save yourself a fortune on NLP,tapes,cd's etc.
A great companion to this book is 'The Master Key',by Charles F Haanel,a classic that goes into much more detail than Maltz and will inspire you to for years to come.