I just finished Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. This is one of those books that will make your inner weasel squirm. The authors discuss cognitive dissonance and dissonance theory, confirmation bias, and other psychological processes we use to absolve ourselves from the sloppy thinking and bad decisions we all tend to make. These guys don't spare anyone (including the reader). They cite example after example of this type of behavior in the public sphere (politics anyone? Showbiz?) and personal sphere (our relationships with ourselves and those we supposedly care about the most).Thankfully, they offer some tips on how to avoid or break these patterns of behavior. They even show examples of real humans who choose to do what's right and face this stuff head on. Yay!Anyone who is interested in leadership (as a participant or as an observer) should read this book.The only caveat I can offer is that it probably could have been a bit shorter; the authors give a lot of examples and cite a lot of research.
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