Cognitive dissonance: self-salvation in the dilemma of human nature

"It's Not My Fault" is like a magic mirror, showing the most stubborn defense mechanism of human nature nakedly to readers. When we open this classic psychology book, we see not only the absurd performance of others to excuse their mistakes, but also the one-man show of self-defense in everyone's heart. The two social psychologists use scalpel-like precision to analyze and reveal the instinctive reaction of human beings when facing cognitive dissonance - behind those seemingly ridiculous self-justifications, there is a deep need to maintain psychological integrity. This need is as indispensable as air, but it can also become a fatal shackle that hinders growth.

1. Cognitive dissonance: the survival code at the bottom of human nature

On the ruins of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb explosion, Japanese officers still insisted that "the Yamato people will never surrender"; on the eve of Enron's bankruptcy, executives were still drawing up grand blueprints at the conference table. Behind these puzzling behaviors, there is the pulse of cognitive dissonance. When there is a rift between reality and self-cognition, the human brain will activate the primitive self-protection program. This psychological mechanism formed by evolution was once the glue that maintained the stability of primitive tribes.

In the hunting and gathering era, the absolute trust of group members in the leader's decision-making was the key to survival. If someone questioned the attack angle of throwing stones, the entire tribe might be devoured by wild beasts in the debate. This paranoid maintenance of self-judgment is deeply rooted in our genetic memory. Just as a wounded beast will instinctively lick its wounds, modern people will also unconsciously activate psychological defense mechanisms when faced with cognitive conflicts.

This mechanism has evolved

查看更多

Book Summary of "It&39;s Not My Fault"Chapter 1: Psychological Mechanism of Self-Defense1.1 The Necessity of Self-Defense- Cognitive Dissonance: People tend to reduce psychological discomfort, and when their behavior is inconsistent with their beliefs, they will restore consistency through defense. - Self-worth Protection: When individuals face situations that threaten their self-esteem, they will take actions to maintain their sense of self-worth. 1.2 The Misunderstanding of Self-Defense- Fundamental Attribution Error: Tend to attribute the behavior of others to internal traits and ignore situational factors. - Self-Serving Bias: Success is attributed to oneself, and failure is attributed to external reasons. Chapter 2: Cognitive Bias and Decision-Making Errors2.1 Confirmation Bias- Screening Information: Only pay attention to and support information that supports preconceived views, and ignore negative evidence. - Group Thinking: In order to achieve harmony and unity in the group, better decision-making options are ignored. 2.2 Overconfidence and Optimistic Bias- Overestimation of Ability: Overconfidence in one&39;s own abilities and judgments leads to unrealistic expectations. - Unrealistic optimism: holding an unrealistically positive attitude towards the future and underestimating risks and challenges. Chapter 3: The influence of social and cultural factors3.1 Social comparison- Upward social comparison: comparing with people who are better than oneself may lead to feelings of inadequacy. - Downward social comparison: comparing with people who are not as good as oneself may produce a false sense of superiority. 3.2 Cultural values- Individualistic culture: emphasizing personal achievement and responsibility may lead to excessive self-defense. - Collectivist culture: focusing on collective harmony and face may affect the recognition of mistakes. Chapter 4: How to avoid the trap of self-defense4.1 Improve critical thinking- Be aware of your own bias: learn to identify and question automatic thinking and judgment. - Open-minded: be willing to listen to different opinions and evaluate different viewpoints. 4.2 Cultivate humility- Acknowledge uncertainty: accept the limitations of your own knowledge and the uncertainty of decision-making. - Learn from mistakes: see mistakes as opportunities for growth rather than denial of self-worth. Through the above analysis, this book explores in depth the complex psychological and socio-cultural factors that explain why people tend to defend themselves when faced with mistakes or inappropriate behavior, and proposes strategies to reduce self-defense bias and improve decision-making quality.

1. The root of self-deception "The reason why we often defend our mistakes is largely because we are unwilling to face our own vulnerabilities and mistakes." 2. The truth about cognitive dissonance "When our behavior conflicts with our inner beliefs, we will unconsciously adjust our beliefs to adapt to our behavior. This is the manifestation of cognitive dissonance." 3. Self-protection mechanism "Self-defense is not only a psychological defense mechanism, but also a way for us to try to maintain our self-esteem and self-worth." 4. The universality of responsibility avoidance "Whether it is an individual or a group, we have an innate tendency to look for external reasons when problems arise in order to avoid responsibility." 5. The trap of blind self-confidence "Overconfidence often hinders our ability to learn from mistakes because we are too busy defending our decisions to face failure." 6. The impact of social comparison "We often evaluate ourselves by comparing ourselves with others. This social comparison not only distorts our self-cognition, but also affects our attitude towards mistakes." 7. The harm of confirmation bias "We only pay attention to information that supports our own views and ignore evidence that contradicts them. This confirmation bias is a powerful weapon for self-defense." 8. The paradox of moral licensing "When we are proud of a good deed, we often unconsciously give ourselves moral license to do something less moral." 9. The blind spot of group thinking "In a group, we are more likely to give up independent thinking and accept the consensus of the group, even if this consensus is wrong." 10. The revelation of self-serving bias "We tend to attribute success to ourselves and blame failure on external factors. This self-serving bias reveals the deep psychological mechanism of self-defense." 11. The myth of memory reconstruction "Our memory is not fixed, but is constantly reconstructed with the change of time and situation. This reconstruction often serves our self-defense." 12. The battle between emotion and reason "Emotions are often more powerful than reason. It drives us to defend our beliefs and behaviors, even if these beliefs and behaviors are not reasonable." 13. The limitations of self-cognition "Our cognition of ourselves is often more vague and uncertain than our cognition of the outside world. This limitation makes self-defense a necessary survival strategy." 14. The constraints of social roles “Social roles and expectations have a huge impact on our behavior, making us more inclined to self-defense rather than self-reflection when faced with mistakes.” 15. The power of habit “Habit is a powerful force that makes us stick to old views and behaviors when faced with new situations, even if these views and behaviors are no longer applicable.” 16. The possibility of change “Although self-defense is a deep-rooted psychological phenomenon, through self-awareness and hard work, we still have the possibility to change our behavior patterns and learn from our mistakes.” 17. The value of courage “It takes great courage to admit our mistakes and take responsibility for them, but this courage is necessary for our growth and progress.” 18. The wisdom of humility “Humility does not mean denying our achievements, but it means that we are willing to see our own shortcomings and willing to learn from others.” 19. The importance of critical thinking “Cultivating critical thinking is the key to overcoming the tendency to self-defense, which enables us to look at problems objectively and make wise decisions.” 20. The complexity and diversity of human nature “Finally, we must recognize that human nature is complex and diverse, and that no simple theory can fully explain our behaviors and decisions. Understanding this can help us view our own and others’ mistakes with more tolerance and understanding.”

Title: It's Not My Fault: Exploring the Psychological Mechanism of Human Self-Justification In It's Not My Fault, two outstanding psychologists, Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, team up to explore why humans justify their foolish views, poor decisions, and hurtful behaviors.< This article will provide a detailed introduction to the two authors' basic personal information, education and professional background, writing career, work style and themes, personal life, social influence, citations and evaluations, and recent developments.

Carol Tavris Basic Information: Carol Tavris is an American psychologist and writer, known for her research on gender, self-justification, and cognitive dissonance.

Education and Professional Background: Tavris received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in psychology from Ohio State University.< She worked as a clinical psychologist at Sonoma State Hospital and taught psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Writing Career: Tavris is a prolific writer whose works cover a variety of areas of psychology, including gender, self-justification, and cognitive dissonance.

Work Style and Themes: Tavris's writing style is known for being easy to understand and profound, and she is good at translating complex psychological concepts into language that readers can easily understand.

Personal Life: There is little information about Tavris's personal life, but she has always presented herself as a professional and rigorous scholar in her public image.

Social Influence: Tavris's research has had a profound impact on the field of social psychology, and her works have helped the public better understand the psychological mechanisms behind human behavior.

Citations and Reviews: The New York Times once described Tavris's work as "an outstanding contribution to the field of psychology.

" ### Elliot Aronson Basic Information: Elliot Aronson is a late American psychologist who is known for his pioneering research in the field of social psychology.

Education and Career Background: Aronson received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University.< He has taught at Harvard University and the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Writing Career: Aronson is an outstanding writer, and his works include "The Social Animal" and "Influence" and many other bestsellers.

Work Style and Themes: Aronson's writing style is also known for being easy to understand and easy to understand.< The themes of his works cover many aspects of social psychology, such as cognitive dissonance, self-justification, and social influence.

Personal Life: Aronson died in 2018 at the age of 89.< His personal life is relatively low-key, but he enjoys a very high reputation in academia and the public.

Social Influence: Aronson's research has had a profound impact on the field of social psychology, and his theories and findings have been widely used in education, business, and personal development.

Quotes and Evaluation: The Washington Post once described Aronson as a "giant in the field of social psychology.< " ### Conclusion In the book "It's Not My Fault", Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson provide readers with a new perspective to understand our behavior and decision-making by deeply exploring the psychological mechanism of human self-justification.

Their works have not only had a profound impact in the academic community, but also provided valuable knowledge and inspiration to the general readers.