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THE SELF IMAGE 5
... ...student's self-conception, which underlies this viewpoint, his attitude toward the subject would change accordingly.
If the student could be induced to change his self-definition, his learning ability should also change.
This proved
to be the case. One student who misspelled 55 words out of a hundred and flunked so many subjects that he lost credit for a year, made a general average of 91 the next year and became one of the best spellers in school. A boy
who was dropped from one college because of poor grades, entered Columbia and became a straight "A" student.
A girl who had flunked Latin four times, after three talks with the school counselor, finished with a grade of 84. A boy who was told by a testing bureau that he had no aptitude for English, won honorable mention the next
year for a literary prize.
The trouble with these students was not that they were dumb, or lacking in basic aptitudes. The trouble was an inadequate self-image ("I don't have a mathematical mind"; "I'm just naturally a poor speller"). They "identified" with their mistakes and failures. Instead of saying
"I failed that test" (factual and descriptive) they concluded "I am a failure." Instead of saying "I flunked that subject" they said "I am a flunk-out." For those who are interested in learning more of Lecky's work, I recommend
securing a copy of his book: Self Consistency, a Theory of Personality, The Island Press, New York, N.Y.
Lecky also used the same method to cure students of such habits as nail biting and stuttering.
My own files contain case histories just as convincing: the man who was so afraid of strangers that he seldom ventured out of the house, and who now makes his living as a public speaker. The salesman who had already prepared a letter of resignation because he "just wasn't cut out for selling," and six months later was number one man on a force of 100 salesmen. The minister who was considering retirement because "nerves" and the pressure of preparing a sermon a week were getting him down, and
now delivers an average of three "outside talks" a week
to be the case. One student who misspelled 55 words out of a hundred and flunked so many subjects that he lost credit for a year, made a general average of 91 the next year and became one of the best spellers in school. A boy
who was dropped from one college because of poor grades, entered Columbia and became a straight "A" student.
A girl who had flunked Latin four times, after three talks with the school counselor, finished with a grade of 84. A boy who was told by a testing bureau that he had no aptitude for English, won honorable mention the next
year for a literary prize.
The trouble with these students was not that they were dumb, or lacking in basic aptitudes. The trouble was an inadequate self-image ("I don't have a mathematical mind"; "I'm just naturally a poor speller"). They "identified" with their mistakes and failures. Instead of saying
"I failed that test" (factual and descriptive) they concluded "I am a failure." Instead of saying "I flunked that subject" they said "I am a flunk-out." For those who are interested in learning more of Lecky's work, I recommend
securing a copy of his book: Self Consistency, a Theory of Personality, The Island Press, New York, N.Y.
Lecky also used the same method to cure students of such habits as nail biting and stuttering.
My own files contain case histories just as convincing: the man who was so afraid of strangers that he seldom ventured out of the house, and who now makes his living as a public speaker. The salesman who had already prepared a letter of resignation because he "just wasn't cut out for selling," and six months later was number one man on a force of 100 salesmen. The minister who was considering retirement because "nerves" and the pressure of preparing a sermon a week were getting him down, and
now delivers an average of three "outside talks" a week
6 PSYCHO-CYBERNETICS
in addition to his weekly sermons and doesn't know he has a nerve in his body.
How a Plastic Surgeon Became Interested
in Self-Image Psychology Offhand, there would seem to be little or no connection between surgery and psychology. Yet, it was the work of
the plastic surgeon which first hinted at the existence of the "self image" and raised certain questions which led to important psychologic knowledge.
When I first began the practice of plastic surgery many years ago, I was amazed by the dramatic and sudden changes in character and personality which often resulted when a facial defect was corrected. Changing the physical image in many instances appeared to create an entirely
new person. In case after case the scalpel that I held in my hand became a magic wand that not only transformed the patient's appearance, but transformed his whole life. The shy and retiring became bold and courageous.
A "moronic," "stupid" boy changed into an alert, bright youngster who went on to become an executive with a prominent firm. A salesman who had lost his touch and his faith in himself became a model of self confidence.
And perhaps the most startling of all was the habitual "hardened" criminal who changed almost overnight from an incorrigible who had never showed any desire to change, into a model prisoner who won a parole and went on to assume a responsible role in society.
Some twenty years ago I reported many such case histories in my book New Faces—New Futures. Following its publication, and similar articles in leading magazines, I was besieged with questions by criminologists, sociologists
and psychiatrists.
They asked questions that I could not answer. But they did start me upon a search. Strangely enough, I learned as much if not more from my failures as from my successes.
How a Plastic Surgeon Became Interested
in Self-Image Psychology Offhand, there would seem to be little or no connection between surgery and psychology. Yet, it was the work of
the plastic surgeon which first hinted at the existence of the "self image" and raised certain questions which led to important psychologic knowledge.
When I first began the practice of plastic surgery many years ago, I was amazed by the dramatic and sudden changes in character and personality which often resulted when a facial defect was corrected. Changing the physical image in many instances appeared to create an entirely
new person. In case after case the scalpel that I held in my hand became a magic wand that not only transformed the patient's appearance, but transformed his whole life. The shy and retiring became bold and courageous.
A "moronic," "stupid" boy changed into an alert, bright youngster who went on to become an executive with a prominent firm. A salesman who had lost his touch and his faith in himself became a model of self confidence.
And perhaps the most startling of all was the habitual "hardened" criminal who changed almost overnight from an incorrigible who had never showed any desire to change, into a model prisoner who won a parole and went on to assume a responsible role in society.
Some twenty years ago I reported many such case histories in my book New Faces—New Futures. Following its publication, and similar articles in leading magazines, I was besieged with questions by criminologists, sociologists
and psychiatrists.
They asked questions that I could not answer. But they did start me upon a search. Strangely enough, I learned as much if not more from my failures as from my successes.
THE SELF IMAGE
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