Maxwell Maltz (1899–1975) was an American cosmetic surgeon and the author of Psycho-Cybernetics (1960), a long-time bestseller about changing your self-image. His ideas influenced many later self-help teachers, including Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy, according to Wikipedia.
Who was Maxwell Maltz?
Maxwell Maltz was born on 10 March 1899 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the third child of Jewish immigrants from the town of Resche in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, today Rzeszów in Poland, according to Wikipedia. He graduated in medicine from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1923, and trained with German plastic surgeons who were then among the most advanced in cosmetic surgery.
His autobiography, Doctor Pygmalion: The Autobiography of a Plastic Surgeon (1953), was popular and influential, according to Wikipedia. In 1960 Prentice-Hall published Psycho-Cybernetics: A New Way to Get More Living out of Life. The book argued that people need an accurate and positive self-image before they set goals, and that visualising goals is central to change. As of 2008 it was one of the books featured in 50 Self-Help Classics.
Maltz also wrote fiction, including the play Unseen Scar (1946) and the novel The Time is Now (1975), according to Wikipedia. In 1966 he married Anna Harabin, his longtime secretary. He died on 7 April 1975.
Our Psycho-Cybernetics guide explains his method step by step, and our self-concept guide shows how Brian Tracy built on his ideas.
His key ideas in brief
- Self-image. You act in line with how you see yourself.
- The success mechanism. Your mind works towards the goals you give it.
- Mental picturing. Rehearse success in your imagination.
- Accurate self-view. Fix your self-image before you set goals.
- The life instinct. You have a built-in drive towards health and happiness.
At a glance
Born: 10 March 1899, New York City
Died: 7 April 1975
Education: MD, Columbia University, 1923
Best-known book: Psycho-Cybernetics (Prentice-Hall, 1960)
Autobiography: Doctor Pygmalion (1953)
Good fit if
You want to change how you see yourself, or you are curious about the source of many visualisation and self-image techniques.
Our take
A founder of modern self-image psychology in popular form. His core claim, that people act in line with their self-image, fits later research on specific self-beliefs.
Maxwell Maltz’s key ideas
Maltz combined lessons from surgery with ideas from cybernetics and self-concept theory. Tap a card to read more.
The self-image
Maltz believed that self-image is the cornerstone of all the changes that take place in a person, and that if a person’s self-image is unhealthy or faulty, their efforts will end in failure, according to Wikipedia. In Psycho-Cybernetics he wrote: “A human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with what he imagines to be true about himself and his environment”, according to Wikiquote.
He came to this from surgery. He found that some patients’ expectations were not satisfied by surgery, so he looked for ways to help them picture a positive outcome, according to Wikipedia. Our self-concept guide explains how Brian Tracy built on this.
The success mechanism
Maltz drew on Norbert Wiener’s Cybernetics, which described animals and guided missiles as goal-seeking mechanisms, according to Wikipedia. Such a mechanism accepts a goal, senses where it is, corrects its course when it drifts, and remembers successful moves. Maltz argued that the conscious mind is the “operator” that sets goals, and the rest of the mind works like this mechanism to reach them. He also used Prescott Lecky’s theories of self-concept.
Mental picturing
Maltz’s main technique was visualisation: picturing yourself acting and succeeding as the person you want to be, according to Wikipedia. Research on mental practice supports a version of this: rehearsing a task in your mind has a positive, significant effect on later performance, with the size of the benefit depending on the type of task and how long you practise, according to Driskell, Copper and Moran. See our guides to visualisation and Psycho-Cybernetics.
The life instinct
“There is within each of us a ‘life-instinct,’ which is forever working toward health, happiness, and all that makes for more life for the individual”, according to Wikiquote. Maltz argued that people must have an accurate and positive view of themselves before setting goals; otherwise they get stuck in limiting beliefs, according to Wikipedia.
His influence
Wikipedia notes that motivational writers including Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy based their techniques on Maltz. Maltz spoke at American Salesmasters seminars alongside Ziglar and Norman Vincent Peale. Tracy wrote that “the discovery of the self-image, pioneered by Maxwell Maltz, is a major breakthrough in understanding human performance”, according to Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (Wiley, 2003). See our pages on Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins.
Videos with Maxwell Maltz
Hand-picked and checked one by one, including Maltz speaking in his own voice.
Start here
More on Maltz
Articles about Maxwell Maltz
Books by Maxwell Maltz
Maltz wrote several books, according to Wikipedia. These are the best known.
Courses and free resources
What the Research Shows
- Self-image and performance. Research supports a version of Maltz’s idea: specific self-beliefs, such as academic self-concept, and performance reinforce each other over time, according to Marsh and Craven.
- Mental practice. A meta-analysis found that mentally rehearsing a task has a positive and significant effect on performance, moderated by the type of task and the length of practice, according to Driskell, Copper and Moran.
- The 21-day idea. Maltz is often linked with the idea that habits take 21 days. A real-world study found that new habits took a median of 66 days to become automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days, according to Lally and colleagues.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Maxwell Maltz?
An American cosmetic surgeon (1899–1975) and author of Psycho-Cybernetics (1960), which argued that your self-image shapes your behaviour.
What is Psycho-Cybernetics?
Maltz’s 1960 book and method, which combines self-concept theory with ideas from cybernetics. It treats the mind as a goal-seeking mechanism and uses visualisation to change the self-image.
What did Maltz mean by self-image?
Your mental picture of yourself. He believed people always act in line with what they imagine to be true about themselves.
Did Maltz say habits take 21 days?
He is often linked with the idea, but research found habits took a median of 66 days, with a wide range from 18 to 254 days.
Who did Maltz influence?
Wikipedia notes that Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy based techniques on his ideas.
Where did Maltz study medicine?
At the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating in 1923.
Books and sources
- Wikipedia: Maxwell Maltz (accessed 13 November 2026)
- Wikipedia: Psycho-Cybernetics
- Wikiquote: Maxwell Maltz, quotations from Psycho-Cybernetics (1960)
- Tracy, Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life (Wiley, 2003)
- Wikipedia: Zig Ziglar (on American Salesmasters)
- Driskell, Copper and Moran, Does mental practice enhance performance?, Journal of Applied Psychology 1994
- Marsh and Craven, Reciprocal effects of self-concept and performance, Perspectives on Psychological Science 2006
- Lally et al., How are habits formed, European Journal of Social Psychology 2010
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