EyebrarianPrize winnersGet the app

Books › Psycho-cybernetics

Cover of Psycho-cybernetics

Psycho-cybernetics

Maxwell Maltz

First published 1960 · 336 pages

A pragmatic, mid-century manual for rewiring your self-image and steering your mind toward success.

Where to buyBooks like this

What it feels like

Reading this book feels like sitting in the office of a wise, mid-century doctor who is patiently explaining the mechanics of your own mind. The pace is steady and methodical, building a compelling case for how our self-image acts as an internal thermostat dictating our success and happiness. Stripped of modern self-help fluff, the tone is deeply pragmatic, earnest, and encouraging, relying on the fascinating analogy of the brain as a goal-seeking servo-mechanism. The mood is quietly empowering, inviting you into a space of focused reflection and mental rehearsal. It delights readers who crave foundational, actionable psychology, specifically those who want to understand the literal machinery of belief and self-sabotage in order to systematically steer their lives toward peace of mind.

Mood
  • empowering
  • reflective
  • focused
  • grounded
Tone
  • pragmatic
  • encouraging
  • authoritative
  • earnest
  • clinical
Pace
steady
Themes
self-image transformation · mental rehearsal · overcoming self-sabotage · the mechanics of belief · goal-oriented living
The writing
Clear, mid-century pragmatic, and highly accessible, relying heavily on mechanical analogies to explain human psychology.
The arc
Moves from a state of perceived limitation and frustration to a profound sense of systematic empowerment and mental clarity.
Who it's for
Readers seeking foundational, no-nonsense self-improvement strategies rooted in practical psychology rather than mystical thinking.
Content notes
  • discussions of low self-esteem
  • references to plastic surgery

About the book

Cybernetics (loosely translated from the Greek): “a helmsman who steers his ship to port.” Psycho-Cybernetics is a term coined by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, which means, “steering your mind to a productive, useful goal so you can reach the greatest port in the world, peace of mind.”

Since its first publication in 1960, Maltz’s landmark bestseller has inspired and enhanced the lives of more than 30 million readers. In this updated edition, with a new introduction and editorial commentary by Matt Furey, president of the Psycho-Cybernetics Foundation, the original text has been annotated and amplified to make Maltz’s message even more relevant for the contemporary reader.

“Before the mind can work efficiently, we must develop our perception of the outcomes we expect to reach. Maxwell Maltz calls this Psycho-Cybernetics; when the mind has a defined target it can focus and direct and refocus and redirect until it reaches its intended goal.” —Tony Robbins

Maltz was the first researcher and author to explain how the self-image (a term he popularized) has complete control over an individual’s ability to achieve (or fail to achieve) any goal. And he developed techniques for improving and managing self-image—visualization, mental rehearsal, relaxation—which have informed and inspired countless motivational gurus, sports psychologists, and self-help practitioners for more than fifty years.

The teachings of Psycho-Cybernetics are timeless because they are based on solid science and provide a prescription for thinking and acting that lead to quantifiable results.

Description from Open Library.

Books like Psycho-cybernetics

See why they match