Definition
Negative feedback is information that signals a deviation from a target so that a system can correct itself. The word "negative" is technical, not pejorative — it refers to the sign of the correction (opposite to the error). When a thermostat detects the room is too warm, the negative-feedback signal turns off the heater. When a driver sees the lane line drifting left, the negative-feedback signal nudges the wheel right.
In Maltz's framework, the emotional discomfort of being off-course — frustration, anxiety, a sense that "something is wrong" — is the human form of negative feedback. Treated as data, it guides correction. Treated as judgment, it produces self-attack and paralysis.
Why it matters
How it works
In a working loop, error is detected, a small correction is applied, and the loop re-measures. Over many iterations the system converges on the target. The crucial feature is that no single signal is interpreted as a verdict — it is just one reading in a continuous stream.
When feedback becomes excessive (over-reacting to small errors) or personalized (treating error as moral failure), the loop oscillates or shuts down. Maltz's prescription was to soften the response — slow the reaction, reduce the gain, and treat each signal as a course-correction prompt rather than a referendum on the self.