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

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80% Recommended by our customers.
Publisher: Harvest Books
Catalog: Book
Release date: 2008-03
Media: Paperback
Number of pages: 304
Ean: 9780156033909
Book Isbn: 0156033909

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Authors:

Carol Tavris	see more Books by Carol Tavris
Elliot Aronson	see more Books by Elliot Aronson

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Professional Review:

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?

Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception—how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it.

User Reviews:

Written on February 10, 2008
Summary: A perfect example
The disagreement around the issue of 'Global Warming' and whether it is human-caused (anthropogenic) or not, is a good example of the principles discussed in this book. It is very plain to see now, the lashing-out by (mostly left-leaning) Environmentalists against the ever-increasing number of scientists, and hard evidence, which drives a vast wedge into this media-supported charade that 'the Science is Settled', 'humans are definitely to blame', 'we are near a tipping point in the environment' etc, ad nauseum. Ad Hominem attacks against hundreds of the world's most highly qualified (and Skeptical) climate experts are beginning to fly like confetti in a hurricane, especially since the Inhofe report. Sad to see, when many of the experts now being harassed, have been part of the UN IPCC's own effort to alarm the world. Environmentalism is an ideology, and Anthropogenic Global Warming a RELIGION, you need to be aware. But that's how stupid people can get, when they need to defend a conviction. And attacks by reason only firm a group's or individual's resolve, in many instances - in this case, the resolve of Global Warming alarmists. Thankfully, history demonstrates that good science usually prevails.

Written on January 28, 2008
Summary: Read this book - no mistake!
As a self-defense trainer, I'm puzzled by an apparent contradiction. I give a "pop quiz" at the beginning of every class I teach. The question correctly answered most often by most students is whether women are more often assaulted by strangers or acquaintances. Most (correctly) answer acquaintances. Yet, when asked who they see as THEIR possible assailant, almost ALL students describe a stranger blitz attack. And it was this discrepancy between what people told me they knew about assault and who they felt was likely to attack THEM that puzzled me.

Tavris and Aronson's book is all about "cognitive dissonance," a state of mental tension that arises when a person simultaneously holds two ideas, beliefs or opinions that are contradictory. Because holding two contradictory views is a mentally uncomfortable state, cognitive dissonance describes the process by which they become reconciled in the head of the beholder. Everyone over the age of 14 can recall a time when they made a decision, stubbornly stuck by it despite its obvious poor results, and only after enough time went by could acknowledge it as a mistake.

Tavris and Aronson have collected a wide range of examples. While their examples did not directly address my question, I'll infer their answer (here's the short, simplistic version). Acquaintance assault casts doubt on your ability to judge character. That is a weakness. Weakness is bad, and admitting to weakness is also bad. These are uncomfortable feelings. Therefore, even though you INTELLECTUALLY know better, you FEEL more threatened by those dark alleys you'd never walk down anyways.

While I do not consider this the entire explanation for students' contradiction, I believe it is part of a complex convergence of social and psychological factors. How does this information help my students learn better risk assessment?

One of the authors' points is that cognitive dissonance is everywhere because it is a normal activity of the human mind. However, the authors also point out that we can minimize it (and its harmful effects) with awareness and a measure of self-reflection mixed with honesty. Acknowledging mistakes is the first step in learning from them. Acknowledging your real risks is the first step in planning to reduce them.

Written on January 27, 2008
Summary: Entertaining
It's a thought provoking book. I recognized that I have used some of the same rationalization of errors I made over the years. It is a fine study of how we can deceive ourselves.

Written on January 20, 2008
Summary: Ironies that do us in
A clever and well-written account of a common form of self-deception with examples from politics, law and everyday life.

Written on January 11, 2008
Summary: Required Reading for Accident Investigators
this book along with The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error, by Sidney Dekker, are essential reads for anyone involved in safety, Just Culture, human reliability and human performance.

Comparison map

Wondering how the book "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts" relates to similar books? Find out at a glance here:

Price comparison	Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify...	The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People...	Don't Believe Everything You Think: The 6 Basic...	Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things	A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts and...	Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That...
Our price	$10.20	$12.24	$12.92	$12.24	$10.85	$17.13
List price	$15.00	$18.00	$19.00	$18.00	$15.95	$25.95
Lowest used price	$8.83	$11.34	$12.15	$11.54	$9.37	$15.40
Lowest new price	$8.88	$10.14	$12.15	$10.97	$9.26	$14.35
Catalog	Book	Book	Book	Book	Book	Book
Release date	2008-03	2008-01-22	2006-05-02	2007-04-26	2008-06-23	2008-02-19
Media	Paperback	Paperback	Paperback	Paperback	Paperback	Hardcover
Format	-	-	-	-	-	Roughcut
Number of pages	304	576	286	250	256	304
Ean	9780156033909	9780812974447	9781591024088	9781591025092	9780393331639	9780061353239
Book Isbn	0156033909	0812974441	1591024080	1591025095	0393331636	006135323X
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Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts