It's Not My Fault: Why People Defend Their Stupid Opinions, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Behavior

When things are at an impasse, why do people just want to evade responsibility, or even lie unconsciously? Why do public figures deny having an affair when the evidence is irrefutable, but in their apology the next day they say, "I have committed a crime that no man in the world can...

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.