Mistakes Were Made

Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

by Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson, Elliot Aronson

Paperback, 400 pages

English language

Published Nov. 3, 2015 by Mariner Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-544-57478-6

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(1 review)

Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) is a non-fiction book by social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, first published in 2007. It deals with cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias and other cognitive biases, using these psychological theories to illustrate how the perpetrators (and victims) of hurtful acts justify and rationalize their behavior. It describes a positive feedback loop of action and self-deception by which slight differences between people's attitudes become polarized.

3 editions

Matthew Royal reviewed Mistakes Were Made by Carol Tavris

Review of 'Mistakes Were Made' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The authors are convinced that self deception is a uniquely American trait, and chock it up to our fear of failure. Sounds suspect to me, and it's a thesis completely unsubstantiated by any of the numerous end notes (30% of the book!) Despite that and a few other nitpicks, it's a good intro to unselfconscious people into the inner workings of their minds. The book self-summarizes neatly with this quote: "Nowadays, when I feel passionate that I am 100 percent right about a decision that others question, I look at it again; that's all."