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Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me)

Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
Cdnbookworm
Jun 21, 2011Cdnbookworm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book takes a look at behaviour: people dodging responsibility when things go wrong, public figures unwilling to take responsibility for mistakes they make, people blind to the hypocrisy they exhibit to others, and goes after the reasons behind them. Making mistakes affects our feelings about ourselves and we are wired to lessen that feeling of cognitive dissonance. We do this by standing by our decisions, making excuses and explanations, and expanding the blame to others (i.e. he started it). Often this means that others lose respect for us, and we exacerbate the original mistake. As the authors did the research they discovered that knowing about this instinct doesn't mean you are immune to it, but at least being aware means that you can choose to stop when you see yourself going down that road. They give real life examples from false memory syndrome to wrongful convictions, from mistakes in the workplace to marital relations. I recognized myself and the society I live in. This book looks at how we self-justify and why, showing that we minimize our own actions or their effects whenever possible and make excuses when we can't minimize. This drives us further away from an honest accounting and real resolution. Required reading, particularly for those in a position of power or authority.