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Self-Justifying Delusions: What the mind’s biases reveal about cheating, justice, love, war, memory—and the rest of life
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Carol Tavris, co-author of 'Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)', speaks Tuesday, May 5, 2015, 7-9 PM in the Rogue River Room at the
Stevenson Union, SOU, Ashland OR.
Why is it so hard for so many people to admit their mistakes, give up a wrong belief, accept responsibility for the harms they inflict? What blocks us from even being aware that we are wrong, holding on to a belief or a way of doing something that’s years past its shelf life? Dr. Tavris will describe the cognitive biases that lead most people to justify beliefs that are outdated, decisions that have proved to be misguided or wrong, and, perhaps especially, the harms we inflict on others—including those we love the most. The mechanism of self-justification has benefits—it lets us sleep at night—but it can also have disastrous consequences for students, teachers, prosecutors, doctors, lawyers, lovers, divorcing couples...and all the rest of us on this feuding planet.
Dr. Tavris is a social psychologist and author. Her talk focuses on recent findings for an updated edition of 'Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)'.