PSYCH253 Lecture 3: Self Deception
23 Jan 2019
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Selective distortion of information to maintain a positive self-view - protect self from threats - often occurs when we draw self-serving conclusions that differ from conclusions an objective party would draw given the same information. Need a benchmark to quantify if the self image has been inflated. The ability to self-deceive may offer a selective advantage by enhancing ability to deceive others - essentially to be a good liar. Evolutionarily, it is better to be able to lie more effectively. False uniqueness: own good abilities / acts = rare. False consensus: own bad abilities / outcomes = common. Constrained by reality - though we still do not see ourselves accurately. When ambiguity exists, we choose to believe what we want to believe. We must be able to generate sufficient support for desired belief. Can we find the evidence that we want to confirm our beliefs. Evaluate past selves to make current self look good.
