Mistakes were made (but not by me) : why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts

Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson

2020

Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

"Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right-a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong"-- Provided by publisher