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More copies of this ISBN:This title in other formats:Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Actsby Carol Tavris
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments: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 liars? Or do we really believe the stories we tell? Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and righta belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deceptionhow it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it. Book News Annotation:Drawing on years of research, California-based social psychologists
Tavris and Aronson explore how our brains are wired for
self-justification, the harm self-deception can cause, and how it can
be overcome. The book is academic but accessible to the general
reader, and the material is illustrated throughout with real-life
examples from the news, politics, and public life.
Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Review:"Anecdote-rich...a ramble through the evasive tactics we employ when weve done something wrong and dont want to face up to it. "Mistakes Were Made" is by turns entertaining, illuminating and--when you recognize yourself in the stories it tells--mortifying. It is certainly true that we can be artful to the point of self-delusion when we feel guilt for something we have done." Review:"Combining far-ranging scholarship with lucid, witty prose, Tavris and Aronson illuminate many of the mysteries of human behavior — why hypocrites never see their own hypocrisy, why couples so often misremember their shared history, why many people persist in courses of action that lead straight into quicksand. A delight to read, with surprising revelations in every chapter." Review:PRAISE FOR CAROL TAVRISS ANGER"Witty, provocative, and impressively documented, this work lights a candle in cursed darkness."LOS ANGELES TIMES PRAISE FOR ELLIOT ARONSONS THE SOCIAL ANIMAL"A rare gem of a book, easy to read but also scientifically sophisticated."CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGY Review:"Please, somebody, get a copy of this book to the President and his cabinet right away. Read it aloud into the Congressional Record. If this book doesnt change the way we think about our mistakes, then were all doomed." Review:"A pathbreaking book that could change forever how leaders think about the decisions they make . Crackles with new insights and understanding. A must read!" Review:"To err is human, to rationalize even more so. Now, thanks to this brilliant book, we can finally see how and why even the best meaning people may justify terrible behavior. Mistakes Were Made will not turn us into angels, but it is hard to think of a better — or more readable — guide to the minds most devilish tricks." Review:"This eye-opener of a book is essential reading, not because weve all made mistakes - certainly not! - but because weve all been victims of mistakes made by others. Why do these people behave so badly? Tavris and Aronsons explanation is illuminating, entertaining, based on solid science, and highly relevant to our public and private lives." Review:"In this pre-election time, Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronsons book bears a very prescient message: Just how does one learn from ones mistakes if one refuses to admit culpability? With straightforward language and a readable style, Tavris and Aronsons book will open your eyes and improve your life - that is, it will if you let it." Review:"Written with the perfect combination of science and snap, this is a book that will change the way you think about self-deception--how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it." Review:"A pathbreaking book that could change forever how leaders think about the decisions they make Crackles with new insights and understanding. A must read!" Review:"Written with the perfect combination of science and snap, this is a book that will change the way you think about self-deception--how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it." Review:"A revelatory study of how lovers, lawyers, doctors, politicians--and all of us--pull the wool over our own eyes. The politician who cant apologize, the torturer who feels no guilt, the co-worker wholl say anything to win an argument--in case youve ever wondered how such people can sleep at night, a new book by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson supplies some intriguing and useful insights. Thanks, in part, to the scientific evidence it provides and the charm of its down-to-earth, commonsensical tone, Mistakes Were Made is convincing. Reading it, we recognize the behavior of our leaders, our loved ones, and--if were honest--ourselves, and some of the more perplexing mysteries of human nature begin to seem a little clearer. By the books end, were far more attuned to the ways in which we avoid admitting our missteps, and intensely aware of how much our own (and everyones) lives would improve if we--and those who govern and lead us--understood the power and value of simply saying, I made a mistake. Im sorry." Synopsis: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. Table of ContentsCONTENTS
Introduction Knaves, Fools, Villains, and Hypocrites: How Do They Live with Themselves? 1 Chapter 1 Cognitive Dissonance: The Engine of Self-justification 11 Chapter 2 Pride and Prejudice . . . and Other Blind Spots 40 Chapter 3 Memory, the Self-justifying Historian 68 Chapter 4 Good Intentions, Bad Science: The Closed Loop of Clinical Judgment 97 Chapter 5 Law and Disorder 127 Chapter 6 Loves Assassin: Self-justification in Marriage 158 Chapter 7 Wounds, Rifts, and Wars 185 Chapter 8 Letting Go and Owning Up 213 Afterword 237 Endnotes 239 Index 277 What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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