About this title: Social psychologists Tavris and Aronson take an in-depth look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. Backed by years of research and delivered in lively prose, their book offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception--how it works, the harm it can cause, and how to overcome it.
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780156033909ISBN:0156033909
Description: Acceptable. Some lt. wear to cover; small, lt. tan stain to bottom of a few pages; else good condition overall! Thanks for your business! Your satisfaction is guaranteed! read more
Description: Fine. 0156033909 NEVER USED! This book has never been read. There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. This book may have slight shelf wear. Tracking information provided for all orders. Orders over $49.99 will receive an upgrade from standard to priority mail. Customer satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Description: Good. Used-Good Hardcover. 1st Edition May contain highlighting/underlining/notes/etc. May have used stickers on cover. Ships same or next day. Expedited shipping takes 2-3 business days; standard shipping takes 4-14 business days. read more
Description: Fine. 0151010986 NEVER USED! This book has never been read. There are no highlights, No pen marks, No missing pages. The binding is sturdy. This book may have slight shelf wear. Tracking information provided for all orders. Orders over $49.99 will receive an upgrade from standard to priority mail. Customer satisfaction guaranteed! ! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Pinter & Martin Ltd
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781905177219ISBN:1905177216
Description: New. Offers a look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. This title provides an explanation of self-deception-how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it. read more
Description: New. Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up? Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right? Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? Are we all l... read more
"I think the point the authors make in this book is a very good one: that despite being hardwired to reduce cognitive dissonance in their own favor, human beings have the capacity and responsibility to see this tendency for what it is and resist it in the interests of honesty and justice.
I see two flaws in their argument:
1) In a number of places, the authors talk about confronting our self serving beliefs with "the facts". I wonder where we're supposed to find these facts and how we're supposed to know once we've got them. It's easy enough to claim that my beliefs already are "facts". Every day items of conventional wisdom which "everyone knows" and considers factual are discovered to be in error. Even if we find a "fact" that no one disputes now, there's no guarantee that someone won't figure out why it's wrong tomorrow. The best we can do is to question ourselves honestly and apply the best information available to our situations, but there's always the possibility of new information displacing what we once thought were "facts".
2) The authors recommend institutionalizing corrective measures like videotaping all police interrogations and fostering a culture of tolerance toward mistakes to facilitate learning. I fear that anything that can be institutionalized will foster its own blind spots and ways of resisting change. It seems to me that the only real solution is constant thoughtful vigilance and ruthless honesty with oneself."
"This is a well written, snappy book that addresses an important issue, best described by the book's title and subtitle: "Mistakes Were Made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts."
The two authors, both well reputed psychologists, use the theory of cognitive dissonance as their starting point. Leon Festinger was one of the major theorists of this approach. The authors of this book simply define the perspective thus (page 13): "Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs whenever a person holds two cognitions (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically inconsistent, such as 'Smoking is a dumb thing to do because it could kill me' and 'I smoke two packs a day.'" How does one deal with this? By adopting one of the positions and then downgrading or rejecting the other. The end result is self-justification, self-deception, seeking out evidence to support the choice that we have made while rejecting evidence that does not fit with our choice.
The brain itself shows evidence of the operation of cognitive dissonance. The example on page 19 of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and processing information about presidential candidates is telling. The end result is "blind spots," in which people (page 42) "fail to notice vital events and information that might make them question their behavior or their convictions." As such, the authors note that cognitive dissonance makes mincemeat of such theoretical views as rational actor theory and psychoanalytic theory. One result of cognitive dissonance is what is called "confirmation bias," the attending to evidence that supports our views and the rejection/suppression of evidence that does not support our views.
Many examples are advanced to illustrate the case that the authors make. Issues include: moral lapses (e.g., Watergate participants), "made up" memories (raising serious questions about the whole idea of repressed memories), criminal justice system decisions on guilt or innocence, and so on. Much is at stake with cognitive dissonance as it operates.
In the closing chapter, the authors try to indicate how understanding cognitive dissonance might help us to limit the damage that may occur as a result of its operation. Convincing? I'm not so sure, but this discussion does get one thinking about how we might address the harmful side effects of cognitive dissonance.
A readable book that raises important issues. I think that more use of neuroscientific research could have strengthened this book that much more. Also, the work by cognitive psychologists like Kahneman and Tversky could have spoken to key points as well. This book might also profitably be read in tandem with another recent book on a similar subject, Cordelia Fine, "A Mind of Its Own." In addition, Linden's "accidental Mind" provides a perspective on related issues from a neuroscience viewpoint."
"An attempt to do something a little more meaningful than pop psychology, written by two famous research psychologists. A fast read--makes a fairly compelling argument combining "Cognitive Dissonance" theory with false memories to show how we blind ourselves to our own mistakes, and in fact compound and doggedly defend those mistakes. Though they talk about needing to apply scientific thinking to things, they make sure not to bring up any scientific based questions that might question their own theories. Still, quite worth reading."
"Four stars for the book itself, five stars for its impact on my life. I can't think of any other secular book that I have found so broadly applicable to daily life. This is really something I need to re-read every so often, so I don't forget how fallible I am. The theory behind this book is fascinating. Self-justification is an essential part of our hardwiring, but our eagerness to see ourselves as smart, moral people means that we overlook serious flaws or justify mistakes that should be admitted and corrected. I wish I could go into all the many ideas I took away from this book, but there's just too much to it. I highly recommend it. For my LDS friends, ever since I read this book, things I learned from it have been coming to mind pretty much every Sunday during church. Its' psychologically-based assertions harmonize perfectly with gospel teachings. Specifically, it helped me understand in a new way why we're commanded so often to be humble and teachable. PS- The first few chapters are must-read. After that there are several chapters that apply the theories to real-world situations (criminal prosecutors, repressed memory specialists, and others) which are interesting, but not essential reading. I do highly recommend the chapter on marriage, and the final chapter."
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