Psychologists often point out that self-justification is not entirely without benefits. It stops us from agonizing over every decision, questioning every judgment, staying awake at night wondering if getting married/taking that job/going on that course was the right thing to do. The problem, however, is when this morphs into mindless self-justification: when we spin automatically; when we reframe wantonly; when failure is so threatening we can no longer learn from it.
