false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175517605m/522525.jpg 522525 5 <div>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? <br><br>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 right&#8212;a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. <br><br>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&#8212;how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it.<br><br></div> 2171014 7 5 2007 Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts total:273|5:101|4:112|3:50|2:10|1:0| 273 1123 626 92 5 2 false false Tue Apr 15 07:35:22 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 15 07:35:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jan 02 22:10:05 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 02 22:10:05 -0800 2008
When I picked it up, I had only a basic knowledge of cognitive dissonance. I'm so glad that this is the first in-depth book on the topic I read.

For one thing, it is wonderfully written. It's engaging, clear, and funny. It...more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue May 27 15:06:26 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 14:15:43 -0700 2008 Tue May 27 15:06:26 -0700 2008 Mistakes Were Made is a tour through the different ways in which cognitive dissonance motivates otherwise normal, good people to do wretched things. Making such stops as the tragedies of recovering so-called repressed memories, the unfortunate bias of the parts of the legal system which are immune...more...]]> 3 4 false false Sat Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 17 17:14:35 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 11:03:07 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 13:56:14 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 20 07:49:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 12 12:26:03 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 23 06:42:46 -0800 2008
Even though it contains a lot of depressing facts about people, and doesn't offer an easy an...more...]]> 4 0 false true Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 16:12:07 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 16:27:03 -0800 2009

Quotes:

"How in the world can they live with themselves? The answer is: exactly the way the rest of us do."

"Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs whenever a person holds two cognitions th...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 22 17:25:29 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 17:25:49 -0700 2009
The two authors, both well reputed psychologists, use t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 17 21:09:32 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 12:52:26 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 5 false false Fri Jun 05 13:43:08 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 04:51:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Oct 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 14:06:59 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 18:44:56 -0700 2009
...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jan 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 24 13:44:07 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 04 17:41:59 -0800 2009
Written by two social psychologists and based on years of research, it provides a fascina...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 21:12:04 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 21:12:19 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Nov 11 04:55:31 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 11 04:56:39 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 31 11:21:19 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 04 10:47:58 -0700 2007 4 1 false false Wed Oct 03 13:43:16 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 18 12:01:48 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 18 12:08:12 -0700 2007 4 1 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 15 12:57:58 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 02 10:26:46 -0700 2007 Then the book tells you that that is what everybody thinks.
Ouch.]]> 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Dec 09 21:35:39 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 21:39:53 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue May 26 07:14:28 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 07:17:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 14:09:33 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 08:16:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=522525