Self-deception is the act of fooling oneself into believing something that is not true.
It is a common human tendency to deceive oneself, often unknowingly.
Self-deception can take many forms, from minor exaggerations to outright delusions.
It can be a defense mechanism to protect oneself from unpleasant truths or a way to boost one’s self-esteem.
One way in which people deceive themselves is through confirmation bias. This is the tendency to seek out information that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs while ignoring evidence that contradicts those beliefs.
For example, a person who believes in a conspiracy theory may only seek out information that supports that theory and ignore any evidence that refutes it.
Another way in which people deceive themselves is by rationalizing their behavior. This involves coming up with justifications for behavior that may not be morally or ethically sound.
For example, a person who cheats on their partner may rationalize their behavior by telling themselves that their partner was not meeting their needs.
Self-deception can also take the form of denial. This is when a person refuses to acknowledge the reality of a situation.
For example, a person who is addicted to drugs may deny that they have a problem and refuse to seek help.
Finally, people can deceive themselves by creating false narratives about their lives. This involves constructing a story about oneself that is not entirely true.
For example, a person may tell themselves that they are successful and happy when, in reality, they are struggling in their personal and professional lives.
In conclusion, self-deception is a complex phenomenon that can take many forms.
While it may serve as a coping mechanism in some situations, it can also be harmful if it prevents people from acknowledging and addressing their problems.
It is important to be aware of one’s own tendencies towards self-deception and to seek out different perspectives and evidence to ensure that one’s beliefs and actions are grounded reality.
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Dr. Angelo Subida is a clinical psychotherapist, author, and speaker. He is author of books "Inner Healing," "Secrets Of Your Self," "Chess and Life," among others, blogs, and articles. He has appeared frequently as an expert on psychotherapy/life recovery issues on national television, radio broadcasts, print media, and webcasts, including GMA 7, TV 5, ABS CBN 2, Q-11, 700 Club, Radyo Veritas, Inquirer Radio, Smart Parenting Magazine, Business Mirror, among others, and has served as resident therapist/counselor for parents and kid-artists in the highly popular ABS-CBN 2 Voice Kids TV singing reality show. Dr. Subida is an eclectic, multidisciplinary therapist and originator of his own revolutionary high-tech, high-touch counseling plus model. His areas of specialization include parent-child therapy, clinical infidelity treatment, relationship/marital counseling, separation/divorce therapy, anger management, depression, addictions, psychotherapy-spirituality integration, and innovative chess therapy. For more of Dr. Subida, you can find him at www.drsubida.com.