Maxwell Maltz was an Americancosmetic surgeon and author of Psycho-Cybernetics, which was a system of ideas that he claimed could improve one's self-image leading to a more successful and fulfilling life. He wrote several books, among which Psycho-Cybernetics was a long-time bestseller — influencing many subsequent self-help teachers. His orientation towards a system of ideas that would provide self-help is considered the forerunner of the now popular self-help books.
Life and career
Maxwell "Max" Maltz was born March 10, 1899, in Manhattan's Lower East Side, the third child of Josef Maltz and Taube Elzweig, both Jewish immigrants from what was then known as the town of Resche in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1923, Maltz graduated with a doctorate in medicine from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He also undertook training under German plastic surgeons who were considered most advanced in cosmetic surgery at that time. In 1960, Psycho-Cybernetics: A New Way to Get More Living out of Life was first published by Prentice-Hall and appeared in a pocket book edition by 1969. The book introduced Maltz's views that people must have an accurate and positive view of themselves before setting goals; otherwise they will get stuck in a continuing pattern of limiting beliefs. His ideas focus on visualizing one's goals and he believed that self-image is the cornerstone of all the changes that take place in a person. According to Maltz, if one's self-image is unhealthy or faulty — all of a person's efforts will end in failure. Maltz also wrote fiction, including a play called Unseen Scar and a novel, The Time is Now. His autobiography, Doctor Pygmalion: The Autobiography of a Plastic Surgeon, was popular and influential, being discussed in many subsequent books on body and identity. It was re-titled Doctor Psycho-Cybernetics after his self-help work was published. Although the book Psycho-Cybernetics was first published in 1960, as of 2008 the book is one of 50 recommended in the book 50 Self-Help Classics.
