Maxwell Maltz (March 10, 1899 – April 7, 1975) was an American

cosmetic surgeon Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...

and author of ''

Psycho-Cybernetics ''Psycho-Cybernetics'' is a self-help book written by Maxwell Maltz in 1960. Motivational and self-help experts in personal development, including Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy have based their techniques on Maxwell Maltz. Many of the ...

'' (1960), which was a system of ideas that he claimed could improve one's

self-image Self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to an objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, etc.), but also items that h ...

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 Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...

teachers. His orientation towards a system of ideas that would provide self-help is considered the forerunner of the now popular

self-help books A self-help book is one that is written with the intention to instruct its readers on solving personal problems. The books take their name from '' Self-Help'', an 1859 best-seller by Samuel Smiles, but are also known and classified under "self- ...

Life and career

Maxwell "Max" Maltz was born March 10, 1899, in Manhattan's

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

, 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 Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(today

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ; la, Resovia; yi, ריישא ''Raisha'')) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów has been the capital of the Subcarpathian Vo ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

). In 1923, Maltz graduated with a doctorate in medicine from the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

. 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 Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

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

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'' (1946) and a novel, ''The Time is Now'' (1975). His autobiography, ''Doctor Pygmalion: The Autobiography of a Plastic Surgeon'' (1953), 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 ''

'' was first published in 1960, as of 2008 the book is one of 50 recommended in the book ''50 Self-Help Classics''.

References

External links

* * 1899 births 1975 deaths American motivational writers American Jews American people of Polish-Jewish descent American self-help writers American plastic surgeons 20th-century surgeons {{US-fiction-writer-stub