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

by Carol Tavris

Research by psychologist Carol Dweck suggests one reason for the cultural differences that Stevenson and Stigler observed: American children typically believe that making mistakes reflects poorly on their inherent abilities. In Dweck’s experiments, some children were praised for their efforts in mastering a new challenge; others were praised for their intelligence and ability (“You’re a natural math whiz, Johnny”). Many of the children who were praised for their efforts even when they didn’t get it right eventually performed better and liked what they were learning more than children who were praised for their natural abilities did. They were also more likely to regard mistakes and criticism as useful information that would help them improve. In contrast, children praised for their natural ability were more likely to care more about how competent they looked than about what they were actually learning.22 They became defensive if they did not do well or if they made mistakes, and this reaction set them up for a self-defeating cycle: If they didn’t do