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Summary: Post-Millenium personal development techniques from the 50's
Review: 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!
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Summary: Psycho-Cybernetics is my Bible!
Review: 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.
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Summary: Best self help book I've ever read....BAR NONE
Review: It's so refreshing to finally read a self help book that cuts through all the new age hippy nonsense and gives you the concrete black and white truth. It's apparent that this book was written before drugs were prevelant in our society because there's no outlandish statements, no grey area, and it's actually down to earth and makes sense. If you lack confidence, or have a low self opion, this is by far the best self help book available...buy it.
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Summary: DON'T get the WRONG book! Get ISBN 0671700758
Review: Pay VERY close attention: There are two versions of the book that look almost exactly the same on the outside but their contents are very different:
#1) "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz, M.D.,F.I.C.S [1960 ISBN 0671700758]
#2) "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz FOUNDATION & Bobbe Sommer [1993 ISBN 156731306X].Make sure you get the original 1960 written by Maxwell himself. The 1993 "update" is so painful to read because the new author, Bobbe Sommer literally QUOTES Maxwell Maltz repeatedly while trying to add her own insightful messages. For example, on page 3 of her "update", she states: "Whether we realize it or not," Maltz wrote, "each of us carries..." Well, if you just read the original 1960's book, your eyeballs don't waste time on the "Maltz wrote" phrase altogether... duh!...because Maxwell was the one who wrote it! The only reasons to endure Bobbe Sommer's endless "Maltz said....; Maltz learned that...; Maltz studied...; Maltz wrote...; Maltz realized..." is if she added some totally mindblowing ideas OR contradicted his work. In my opinion she didn't. BTW, I was not prejudiced by reading the original first and then reading the 1993 update to see if it was any better; I actually (and unfortunately) read the 1993 book first. I thought the 1960 original was out of print but I accidentally stumbled on the original copy at Border's Books. I read a chapter and realized his true words were so much more inspirational. Not dry and academic like Bobbe Sommer's version. I think the publisher of the new book was deliberately trying to confuse the public by making the cover look the same as the old one. I think it's borderline unethical...buyer beware! Apparently, Amazon's algorithm to link up user reviews with books is heavily based on the book's title. Most of the time, this works great when there's a paperback and a hardcopy version of the same book. But in this case, the 1960's book and the 1993 are completely different and should not point to the same user reviews! All the glowing reviews listed below? They are the same for both titles. You really don't know which book the reviewers were praising. I'm going to guess it's the 1960's version. See for yourself, plug in either ISBN #s and you'll get the identical list of user reviews. BTW, this Amazon loophole gives me a great idea: I can write a new book about how to become a master at appraising and certifying jewelry like wedding bands and title it "Lord of the Rings"--and shazam--Amazon's engine will give my book the 5 stars and all the wonderful reviews of Tolkien's classic. I give 5 stars for Maltz's 1960 original. I give 2 stars for Bobbe Sommer's update. Again, if the ISBN is 0671700758 click "add to cart". If it says ISBN 156731306X, try again.
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Summary: The one and only true self-development guide
Review: Being a motivational junkie, I have personally spent a lifetime jumping from book to book in hope of finding the perfect one that would lead me to success and happiness. This one ended the search. The thing that's so likeable about Maltz's writing style is that it is simple and direct, with no bells, whistles or gimmicks. It's easy to read and understand. Too many so-called self-help authors try to make themselves look big and impressive, by using useless jargon to complicate their work. Not Maltz, he was genuinely interested in helping others and you can feel it from reading his work or listening to the tapes. Too many books give you a pump up and ask you to plow through them again in order to keep the motivation going. But this book is different in that it forces an individual to plow deep within themselves to "fix the cause" of their failures so they can succeed without constantly having to apply will power. It is a self-improvement book based on science and scientific fact. Using this book I was able to start my own business and it has been successfully running for 4 years now. My only complaint about this book, is that the cover is the most ugliest and unattractive I've ever seen ( But you know the saying about judging a book by it's cover).My advice would be to buy the book. Why not? it costs practically nothing and is more effective than most of the stuff that comes out today. I would also advise you to listen to the tapes also and avoid the 2000 version written by Bobbe Summers. And don't worry about geting bored, this book is a pleasure to read. No wonder it's sold over 30 million copies.
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Summary: "It's all about expectations" --
Review: -- that is the gist of the book, in simple terms. When you have a negative self-image deep down, you fail. If, on the other hand, you become accustomed to HIGH standards and success, then you expect success, and your behavior brings success too. The author (Maltz) was a plastic surgeon and I completely agree with his assessment that surgery often leads to having a different personality, as one of his examples of change in self-image. He was not, however, a psychologist, and he makes many mistakes that are particularly glaring now (the book was written in the 60s). Not everything, in behavior and personality, is caused by beliefs. For instance, depression, fear, and even social impairments may have biological cause, and are only treated effectively with medications. Rationalization, another concept he stresses, can be useless and even detrimental for somebody experiencing an anxiety episode. The way to destroy negative thoughts is NOT by saying "Stop" but rather confronting, ACCEPTING the thought. Aside from this, the book is quite inspirational and interesting.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is a success classic. What makes this book so unique is that it was written by a plastic surgeon, not a motivational speaker. When Max noticed how much people's picture of themselves had such a great impact on their self-image, self-esteem, he noticed that success was an inside job. Although it's written in a boring 1960's style of writing, the content is so good that I recommend this book to anyone interested in self-improvement and success. Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated
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Summary: Classic book that is still relevant today
Review: I hadn't for decades thought about Dr. Maltz's classic of self-help literature until a few days ago when I was having one of those "Where are they now?" reveries about several authors, and for some reason his book popped into my head. Maltz's book was a forerunner of the esteem literature and movement of the 70s but in some ways was never surpassed in its simplicity and relevance. Dr. Maltz noticed in his medical practice that a very small change in a person's physical appearance often produced dramatic and positive results in that person's personality as a result of their now having a more positive physical self-image, which led him to his idea of developing a positive sense of self-worth based on eliminating false ideas and values and other similar negative thoughts. Maltz believed that people could indeed take control of their minds and using a number of simple but useful techniques you could re-engineer your own attitudes and beliefs and in the process become a happier and mentally healthier person. Maltz's message is even more relevant today in a culture that if anything is even more appearance-obsessed than it was back then. The mass media's constant barrage of image-conscious messages is even more relentless now and his advice is as useful an antidote against such negative propaganda and a shallow and superficial culture that values appearance over substance as it was 40 years ago. Overall, still a classic in the field that is just as relevant today as it was four decades ago.
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Summary: This book is different`
Review: It's so easy to see how this book has sold over 30,000,000 copies. I can honestly say that I think this book has ended my search for the "perfect" self-help book. After reading all the glowing reviews I decided to buy this book. Once I started it I couldn't put it down. I've had the book for one week now and I am already seeing results. About 3 years ago I entered into the world of sales and all of a sudden I became painfully aware of my self-image or my self-esteem as others call it. I became very self-conscious and started down a slippery slope into the world of negative thinking and emotions that weren't helping me at all. So I did what any person would do who wants to overcome their limiting beliefs and learn how to overcome negative thinking and I started buying self-help litereature. my library is chocked full of books from all the greats. Well I learned something from all the books that I read, but I just felt there was always something missing. I didn't feel like I had the information that I needed to really turn it all around. I tried "Affirmations" etc. with marginal results. Then I found this book. Maxwell talks about how we act, feel and perform is in direct relation to how we imagine ourselves to be. You may need to read that last sentence again because it's what helped me to start putting it all together. He then gives techniques for changing your self-image and overcoming your negative thinking that really works. I'm very grateful to Maxwell for writing this book. He really put his heart into it and made a masterpiece! Please don't make the mistake of not buying this book. It could well be the best money you ever spent! God Bless!
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Summary: The best written self-help psychology book .
Review: I picked up this book when visiting my family in USA. It had been sitting there all these years, but I never bothered to read it because I thought it must not be relevant because it was so old. Well, after reading it, I can say that it is most definitely the most useful, relevant book I have read. The new self-help books written in this day and age are terrible mindless junk that do nothing for me. I use his concept daily and have improved my mind so much.
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