An edition of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) (2007)

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)

Why we Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

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  • 4.8 (5 ratings) ·
  • 97 Want to read
  • 3 Currently reading
  • 9 Have read

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Last edited by MARC Bot
September 24, 2024 | History
An edition of Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) (2007)

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)

Why we Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

  • 4.8 (5 ratings) ·
  • 97 Want to read
  • 3 Currently reading
  • 9 Have read

At some point we all make a bad decision, do something that harms another person, or cling to an outdated belief.  When we do, we strive to reduce the cognitive dissonance that results from feeling that we, who are smart, moral, and right, just did something that was dumb, immoral, or wrong.

Whether the consequences are trivial or tragic, it is difficult, and for some people impossible, to say, “I made a terrible mistake.” The higher the stakes—emotional, financial, moral—the greater that difficulty. Self-justification, the hardwired mechanism that blinds us to the possibility that we were wrong, has benefits: It lets us sleep at night and keeps us from torturing ourselves with regrets. But it can also block our ability to see our faults and errors. It legitimizes prejudice and corruption, distorts memory, and generates anger and rifts. It can keep prosecutors from admitting they put an innocent person in prison and from correcting that injustice, and it can keep politicians unable to change disastrous policies that cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives. In our private lives, it can be the death of love.

Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) examines:

  • Why we have so much trouble accepting information that conflicts with a belief we “know for sure” is right.
  • The brain’s “blind spots” that make us unable to see our own prejudices, biases, corrupting influences, and hypocrisies.
  • Why our memories tell more about what we believe now than what really happened then.
  • How couples can break out of the spiral of blame and defensiveness.
  • The evil that men and women can do in the name of God, country, and justice -- and why they don’t see their actions as evil at all.
  • Why random acts of kindness create a “virtuous cycle” that perpetuates itself.

Most of all, this book explains how all of us can learn to own up and let go of the need to be right, and learn from the times we are wrong—so that we don't keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

http://www.mistakesweremadebutnotbyme.com/

Publish Date
Publisher
Harcourt
Language
English
Pages
304

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why we Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
May 7, 2007, Harcourt
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


Edition Notes

Published in
Orlando FL, USA

Classifications

Library of Congress
BF337.C63 T38 2007, BF337.C63T38 2007, BF337.C63 T38 2008

Contributors

Author
Elliot Aronson

The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Pagination
292 p.
Number of pages
304
Dimensions
9.2 x 6.1 x 1.0 inches
Weight
1.2 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL7362572M
Internet Archive
mistakesweremade00tavr
ISBN 10
0151010986
ISBN 13
9780151010981
LCCN
2006026953
OCLC/WorldCat
154746792, 71005837
Library Thing
2927391
Goodreads
522525

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History

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