The release date for the English version of 'Mistakes Were Made, but Not by Me: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts' by
Carol Tavris is Jan 2007. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
When things go wrong, why do individuals run away from taking responsibility? Why is there such a line-up of well-known people who can never admit their mistakes? Why are there always arguments in marriages over who is right? What makes others seem hypocritical to us, but not ourselves? Are any of us lying? Or do we really think the tales we tell are true?
Prominent social psychologists Elliot Aronson and Carol Tavris provide an insightful examination of the brain's wiring for self-justification. We need to soothe the cognitive dissonance that throws off our sense of value when we make errors. Thus, we fabricate stories that free us from accountability and reinsert our conviction that we are morally upright, intelligent, and righteous—a conviction that often steers us in the direction of foolish, immoral, and incorrect actions.
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me), which is supported by years of study and written in vivacious, upbeat writing, provides an intriguing explanation of self-deception, including how it works, the damage it can do, and how to overcome it.