Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts (Paperback)

from Dilip-Kumar

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...

from ScribbleScribe

I've found that if a book references scientific studies to back up their claims, that they end up changing my view of how human beings "work" so to speak. Always look for a bibliography in the back of a self-help book. Better yet, bypass the self-help section at your book store entirely and go to...

from bness2

This is a solidly researched book and has so many examples of the concepts being presented that it is hard to put down. If you have ever wondered why people can do things and believe things that sometimes go against even the clearest evidence, then read this book. We all confront cognitive disson...

from satyridae

Fascinating and eye-opening analysis of cognitive dissonance and the steps we take to reduce the dissonance. Politicians are the easy targets, and exploited here as such, but Tavris & Aronson also delve into personal stories. Several of them held up a mirror to my own self-justifications and made...

from RandyMetcalfe

Self-justification is the commonest response to cognitive dissonance. It's the reason we typically end up deceiving ourselves and sometimes others, all the while believing that we are in the right. Tavris and Aronson explode our practice of self-justification with comprehensive appeal to experime...