http://pro-libertate.net/20090116/49-read-mistakes-were-made-not-me ( )

A brilliant analysis of why people persist in mistaken notions, fallacious thinking, self-destructive behaviour, and so on. The repercussions are quite serious, including persisting in criminal convictions even when contrary and incontrovertible evidence comes to light, creating spurious memories of childhood traumas at the hands of teachers and family members, unnecessary and ill-advised wars, and so on. The authors describe how difficult it is for the average person to come to terms with cognitive dissonance, by accepting that one has been mistaken; the temptation is to justify past actions by doing more of the same, blaming and shaming the victim, rationalising by scapegoating, creating false histories, and so on. ( )

Tavris and Aronson explore the cognitive biases that lead people to justify their own beliefs, even in the face of contrary evidence. They explore some of the ways this bias towards self justification negatively affects society and individuals. Tavris and Aronson did a good job with this material; the overview sections are a valuable read. About half of the book is case studies; the value of those chapters will depend on the interest you have in the domains they study.

The human brain excels at reducing cognitive dissonance. We ignore contrary evidence without even knowing it is there. Executives and criminals justify actions that are obviously wrong to the outside observer. You ignore your own judgmental behavior while vilifying the behavior of others.

Some self-justification makes evolutionary sense. If there is not sufficient contrary evidence, evaluating an idea wastes time and energy. Without some self-justification you would always second guess your decisions. Confidence builds on our self-justification skills.

Self-justification also makes neurological sense. Memory is not a recording of the past. We reconstruct the past based on a relatively sparse set of true data points. Memory is the narrative we create that unifies those facts with our self image and our model of the world.

Taken too far, self-justification leads to an inaccurate model of the world around you. Your bar for contrary evidence will rise too high. You will jump on small problems with contradictory material and ignore faults in supporting material. Eventually, self-justifying beliefs will filter your perceptions. Your mind will literally not consciously register that which contradicts your beliefs and will overemphasize that which supports your beliefs. (For examples, see the Internet.)

Tavris and Aronson explore the dangers of self-justification through four case studies. They show how self-justification can lead to bad, and sometimes tragic, results in clinical psychology, the legal system, relationships, and cultural interactions. In all of the case studies, self-justification becomes dangerous when a closed system allows positive feedback loops of self-justification. For example, admitting mistakes can kill a medical career, but not being able to admit mistakes leads to the self-justifying belief that mistakes are never made. When this causes a doctor to believe in a technique that does not really work, the result can be the death of a patient.

The pitfalls of self-justifiation can be avoided. The key tools are independent review, being able to admit you were wrong without shame, seeing mistakes as learning opportunities, learning how to constructively reduce dissonance, and learning how to live with dissonance when it cannot be resolved. Easier said than done, especially at an individual level. But there are huge benefits to be earned from avoiding self-justification, especially systemic institutional self-justification. ( )

A thorough explanation of the psychology behind self-justification, how it serves to ease cognitive dissonance and the ways it can lead to self-destructive beliefs and behaviors. The book addresses issues such as conflict escalation, marriage problems, false memories, wrongful convictions, school cheating scandals, the list goes on, and includes many (maybe too many) clinical studies that back up its assertions. The version I read was updated for 2020 (it was first published in 2007) but must have gone to press before covid. I'd read it again if it were revised to address the phenomenon of deniers and anti-vaxxers. ( )

Doesn't the news just seem like one neverending finger-pointing game? Enter this book. This was a fascinating read and well worth the time. There were chapters on relationships, leadership, etc.* Particularly interesting was the information regarding the malleability of memory. I didn't like seeing myself in the mirror, but it's better than not.

There should be a sequel on how to forgive those who admit to mistakes... because we live in a culture where "you can't judge me, I'm only human" but everyone else should be 100% perfect. ( )