self-deception

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Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and logical argument. Self-deception involves convincing oneself of a truth (or lack of truth) so that one does not reveal any self-knowledge of the deception.

Theorization

It has been theorized that humans are susceptible to self-deception because most people have emotional attachments to beliefs, which in some cases may be irrational. Some evolutionary biologists, such as Robert Trivers, have suggested^[1] that deception plays a significant part in human behaviour, and in animal behavior, more generally speaking. One deceives oneself to trust something that is not true as to better convince others of that truth. When a person convinces himself of this untrue thing, he better masks the signs of deception.

This notion is based on the following logic: deception is a fundamental aspect of communication in nature, both between and within species. It has evolved so that one can have an advantage over another. From alarm calls to mimicry, animals use deception to further their survival. Those who are better able to perceive deception are more likely to survive. As a result, self-deception evolved to better mask deception from those who perceive it well, as Trivers puts it: "Hiding the truth from yourself to hide more it deeply from others." In humans, awareness of the fact that one is acting deceptively often leads to tell-tale signs of deception, such as nostrils flaring, clammy skin, quality and tone of voice, eye movement, or excessive blinking. Therefore, if self-deception enables someone to believe his own distortions, he will not present such signs of deception and will therefore appear to be telling the truth.

Self-deception can be used both to act greater or lesser than one actually is. For example, one can act overconfident to attract a mate or act under-confident to avoid a predator or threat. If a person is capable of concealing his true feelings and intentions well, then he is more likely to deceive others and succeed.

It may also be argued that the ability to deceive, or self-deceive, is not the selected trait but a by-product of a more primary trait called abstract thinking. Abstract thinking allows many evolutionary advantages such as more flexible, adaptive behaviors and innovation. Since a lie is an abstraction, the mental process of creating a lie can only occur in animals with enough brain complexity to permit abstract thinking.^{[citation needed]} Self-deception lowers cognitive cost; that is to say, it is less complicated for one to behave or think in a certain manner that implies something is true, if he has convinced himself that that very thing is indeed true. The mind will not have to think constantly of the true thing and then the false thing, but simply convince himself that the false thing is true.

Evolutionary implications of Trivers' theory of self-deception

Because there is deceit, there exists a strong selection to recognize when deception occurs. As a result, self-deception evolved so as to better hide the signs of deception from others. The presence of deception explains the existence of an innate ability to commit self-deception to hide the indications of deceptions. Humans deceive themselves in order to better deceive others and thus have an advantage over them. In the three decades since Trivers introduced his adaptive theory of self-decepiton, there has been a lot of controversy over the question of such behavior having a genetic basis. The debate continues today.

The explanation of deception and self-deception as innate characteristics is perhaps true, but there are very many other explanations for this pattern of behavior. It is possible that the ability to self-deceive is not innate, but a learned trait, acquired through experience. For example, a person could have been caught being deceitful by revealing his knowledge of information he was trying to hide. His nostrils flared, indicating that he was lying to the other person, and he thus did not get what he wanted. Next time, to better achieve success, the person will more actively deceive himself of having knowledge to better hide the signs of deception. People therefore could have the capacity to learn self-deception.

See also

Psychology portal

Notes

External links

• Skeptic's Dictionary entry on self-deception
• Arbinger Institute - a consulting organisation based on Terry Warner's work on self-deception
• Stanford entry on the issue

Books

• Leadership and Self Deception, by Arbinger Institute - talks at length about self-deception and its implications for leaders - in personal and public life.
• Anatomy of Peace - Resolving the Heart of Conflict, by Arbinger Institute

• McLaughlin, Brian P. & Amélie Oksenberg Rorty (eds.) (1988). Perspectives on Self-Deception. California UP: Berkley etc.

Journals

• Teorema, Vol. XXVI/3, Monographic on Self-Deception: Conceptual Issues, Autumn 2007
• Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 20 (1), 1997.
• Philosophical Psychology, Vol. 20 (3), 2007

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