Critical Thinking Activity Book Review (Book Review Sample)

Running Head: CRITICAL THINKING ACTIVITY: BOOK REVIEW
by
Course
Professor
Institution
City and state
Date
Tavris, C., & Aaronson, E. (2007). Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts. New York: Harcourt.
Chapters in the book
Chapter 1: Cognitive Dissonance: The Engine of Self-justification
Chapter 2: Pride and Prejudice and Other Blind Spots
Chapter 3: Memory, the Self-justifying Historian
Chapter 4: Good Intentions, Bad Science: The Closed Loop of Clinical Judgment
Chapter 5: Law and Disorder
Chapter 6: Love’s Assassin: Self-justification in Marriage
Chapter 7: Wounds, Rifts, and Wars
Chapter 8: Letting Go and Owning Up
Summary of the Author’s ideas
The key major idea that Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson put across in the book is confounded on how human brain is always characterized with tendency for self-justification. This happens when a person makes a mistake the first step is to calm down cognitive dissonance which brings the feeling of self-worth. The reason behind this action is to create a situation that is fiction which keeps away the person from being responsible for the mistake. The person restores belief that he or she is right, moral and smart.
This belief keeps the person not to have done any wrongdoing, dumb or acted immorally. The authors have used real life situations of individuals offering explanation regarding self-deception. They further illustrate how self-deception works, its harmful consequences and how a person can overcome it.The central idea concepts in the various studies and illustrations in this book are cognitive dissonance and pyramid of choice. The idea that the authors of this book provide in the context of cognitive dissonance is the complex psychological mechanism that person engages to create self-justification.
The psychological mechanism protects individual’s self-esteem, uncertainties and affiliations. Secondly is the pyramid of choice where they illustrate that dealing with a mistake means a person is at the top of the pyramid, as the person create fictions that distance him/her from the mistake and thus dissonance is removed and descend towards the base of the pyramid. In their study the authors explores various areas where self-justification is evident. The areas explored include politics which is used to a greater extent, law, family, conflict, prejudice, therapy and memory.
Author's main arguments validity and meaningfulness
The arguments that the authors provide constitute why individuals tend to ran away from responsibility when something goes wrong in what they engage in or when things fall apart. They also argue that public figures notably leaders fear or distance themselves from the emerging problems from their actions, in marriages whenever there is quarrel partners tend to differ on who is right or wrong. Hypocrisy is seen in others but people cannot see in themselves. In the context of these arguments does it mean that we are all liars and do we believe in our actions or what we tell others? Thus people put a lot of effort trying to prove to others and themselves that their actions are right even in extreme and apparent situations when they are not right. The authors explore deeply the self-justification inner workings, role of psychological mechanism and the mentality of judging others and not judging themselves first. They suggest that what is taking place cannot be implied to be lying with the exception underlying lying to oneself. The authors have not been able to clearly explain the concept of lying to oneself because it is doubted if conscious hypocrisy really exist. The book also suggests that at times when things fall apart people will start believing the lies in themselves. However, it can be disastrous to always push ourselves to believe what is in our minds is real.
In this book the authors suggest that naïve realism influences significantly decisions and actions of individuals. There is always conviction that they way people perceive things and events are really the way they are. If other people are perceive contrary to our thinking then they are perceived to be biased which in reality is not convincing. The concept of ethnocentrism is also a subject of argument in this book where the authors argue that it is us against those opposing us or us against them. Confirmation bias is evident in the book and it can be argued that the authors have not fully solved it and they only provide that individuals tend to distort or denounce evidence, decisions or actions that are against their stance. People always internalize beliefs where they keep assuring themselves of a better feeling even when situations turn turbulent. The book suggest the source of confusion providing that individuals are not able to differentiate the reality attributed to information originating from beyond their knowhow such as false memories.
Critique on author’s opinion
The author’s opinion in regard to self-justification is in order as recognized in the behavior of public figures majorly our leaders, relatives and our loved ones. It points out that being honest to oneself it can be easy to understand and have a clear insight on the existing mysteries surrounding the nature of human behavior in handling different situations. Tavris and Aronson have explain how people lose their ethical grip strongly justifying their actions, their assertions is trues since human mind always tend to be rational inclining to oneself. Confirmation bias discussion points out that poor decisions made can be understood from the point of view of self-justification. It is also notable that individuals mind cannot have two thoughts at the same time thus dissonance is bridged. The authors provide that people struggle to overcome dissonance and this is the reason why people tend to engage in various cognitive tactics such as confirmation bias and self-justification. This is true since cognitive dissonance have the effect of creating uncomfortable feeling especially in situations where individual or people experience conflict between their beliefs and behaviours. That is why people will recognize information that only conformsto their beliefs discounting any other contrary information.
The pyramid illustration provided by the authors is perfect because people undergo dissonance-inducing experience as illustrated. In a situation where a person accurately process a circumstance he will descend towards the base of the pyramid landing at one of its sides, Another person at the top of the pyramid try to reduce cognitive dissonance and also descend down the pyramid landing at the other side. It is evident that once at the base in different sides they will no longer have the same similarities and they can become hostile to each other. The author’s opinion on self-justification that people create as a defense for their poor decisions or harmful actions is in order; this habit if it persists can easily lead into an exercise. Generally the author’s opinions to a greater extent can be ascribed to since each chapter explores new unsolved things emanating from the previous chapters.
Conclusions drawn
The authors have concluded that people do not change because they are not aware that they need to, and they are; like in contemporary many people have the culture of being mistake-phobic. People perceive that admitting...