Chapter 3 of Psycho-Cybernetics explores the idea of the success mechanism and how it can be used to achieve one's goals. The chapter explains that every living thing has a built-in guidance system or goal-striving device that is put there by its Creator to help it achieve its goal [2]. The human brain and nervous system operate according to cybernetic principles, which means that the success mechanism operates in two general ways: where the target, goal, or "answer" is known, and the objective is to reach or accomplish it, and where the target or "answer" is not known, and the objective is to discover or locate it [2].
Once the success mechanism has accomplished a correct or "successful response," it is "remembered" for future use. The automatic mechanism then duplicates the successful response on future trials. It has "learned" how to respond successfully, "remembers" its successes, forgets its failures, and repeats the successful action without any further conscious "thought" [2].
The chapter explains that the success mechanism can be directed by the use of imagination or imaging ability. A human being always acts and feels and performs in accordance with what they imagine to be true about themselves and their environment. The nervous system reacts appropriately to what "you" think or image to be true [2]. Therefore, one must have a clear mental picture of the correct thing before they can do it successfully [2].
The chapter also explains that one must dehypnotize themselves from false beliefs to use their success mechanism effectively. False beliefs about oneself can prevent one from achieving their goals. The unhappy, failure-type personality cannot develop a new self-image by pure willpower or by arbitrarily deciding to. There must be some grounds, some justification, some reason for deciding that the old picture of self is in error, and that a new picture is appropriate [2].
In conclusion, Chapter 3 of Psycho-Cybernetics explores the idea of the success mechanism and how it can be used to achieve one's goals. The chapter explains how the success mechanism operates according to cybernetic principles, how it can be directed by the use of imagination, and how false beliefs about oneself can prevent one from achieving their goals. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of dehypnotizing oneself from false beliefs to use their success mechanism effectively.