In today's climate of social unrest and identity politics, social identity greatly affects one's self-image. This book explains why that is important and how to create and maintain a positive self-image regardless of the negative social identity rhetoric popular throughout the world today. This book is intended to serve as a guide that goes beyond personal grooming and learning to dress better in order to improve one’s self-perception through compliments from others. Those concepts are important and indeed are part of the process as detailed in this book. But the methodology discussed in this book has more to do with teleological behavior than instant gratification. Similar to the study of microeconomics, in which one foregoes immediate profit in favor of long-term investments, this perspective can be used to identify problematic characteristics that prevent a person from realizing their ideal self.

Another concept discussed and applied throughout this book is that of cybernetics, the scientific study of self-governing and self-regulating systems in human beings. In this book, I have attempted to explain how anyone may benefit from a general awareness of cybernetic principles to achieve goals that are important to them. The self-image is essential to personality development and human behavior. When you change your self-image, your personality and behavior typically follow in kind. A person’s self-image establishes the boundaries of personal accomplishment and defines what you can and cannot do. Development of a realistic self-image will seem to imbue the individual with new talent and capability. This net effect can literally turn failures into success.