Narrative psychology appears to offer a sharper account of self-deception. Sarbin argues that self-deceivers, like all of us, rely on narratives to explain their role in the world. They are the protagonists in the stories they tell. Their stories rely on the standard narrative elements of contexts and causes. Only, in the case of self-deceivers, key contexts get skewed (or omitted), and erroneous causes get attached to events. The benefit accrued from these narrative distortions? Protecting or enhancing the identity or image of the protagonist.
