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PRAISE FOR MISTAKES WERE MADE (BUT NOT BY ME)
“This book is charming and delightful. But mainly, it’s just damn smart. Armed with reams of scientific data and loads of real-world anecdotes, Tavris and Aronson explain how politicians, pundits, doctors, lawyers, psychotherapists -- and oh, yes, the rest of us -- come to believe that we are right and reasonable, and why we maintain that dangerous self-deception in the face of glaring evidence to the contrary. Every page sparkles with sharp insight and keen observation. Mistakes were made -- but not in this book!” --Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University, author of Stumbling on Happiness
“To err is human, to rationalize even more so. Mistakes Were Made will not turn us into angels, but it is hard to think of a better -- or more readable -- guide to the mind’s most devilish tricks.” --David Callahan, author of The Cheating Culture
“Please, somebody, get a copy of this book to the President and his cabinet right away. Read it aloud into the Congressional Record. If this book doesn’t change the way we think about our mistakes, then we’re all doomed.” --Michael Shermer, columnist, Scientific American, and author of Why People Believe Weird Things
“Tavris and Aronson -- a dream team of two of psychology’s greatest communicators -- investigate our self-serving explanations and malleable memories, explaining how well-meaning people stay the course when pursuing ill-fated ventures, then shuck responsibility when failure arrives. This is a fascinating exploration of our astonishing powers of self-justification.” --David G. Myers, author of Intuition: Its Powers and Perils
“This book is indispensable reading for all psychotherapists. It explains not only why many clients cannot break out of the self-justifications that keep them stuck, but also how we can learn to discover and correct errors in our own clinical practice.” --Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger
“Tavris and Aronson have combined their formidable skills to produce a gleaming model of social insight and scientific engagement. Make no mistake, you need to read this book.” --Robert B. Cialdini, author of Influence: Science and Practice
“This eye-opener of a book is essential reading, not because we’ve all made mistakes -- certainly not! --but because we’ve all been victims of mistakes made by others. Why do these people behave so badly? Tavris and Aronson’s explanation is illuminating, entertaining, based on solid science, and highly relevant to our public and private lives.” -- Judith Rich Harris, author of The Nurture Assumption and No Two Alike
“Tavris and Aronson illuminate many of the mysteries of human behavior --why hypocrites never see their own hypocrisy, why couples so often misremember their shared history, why many people persist in courses of action that lead straight into quicksand. A delight to read, with surprising revelations in every chapter.” --Elizabeth F. Loftus, author of Eyewitness Testimony
“One of the most needed and important books for our time and for everyone.” --Warren Bennis, author of On Becoming a Leader
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