Fooling Ourselves: Self-Deception in Politics, Religion, and Terrorism

Self-deception occurs because we often see the world the way we would like it to be, rather than the way it is. Our brains so long for things the way we want them, we might not even be aware we are fooling ourselves, explains author Harry Triandis, a widely known Professor Emeritus of Psychology. Across cultures and around the world, self-deception is a phenomenon that has subtle and profound effects on everyday life, explains Triandis, also former president of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology. In this work, he not only explains how and why self-deceptions occur in three areas - politics, religion, and terrorism - but also how to recognize and reduce the frequency of fooling ourselves.

Insights here include consideration of personal and societal self-deceptions, as well as extensive understanding of how politics, ideologies, and religions can frame reality for each of us in such a way that it is, in our minds, warped so the stage is well-set for self-deception. This text will be of special interest to general readers drawn to politics and religion, as well as scholars of psychology, anthropology, and sociology.

Harry C. Triandis is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Illinois and a Fellow of three divisions of the American Psychological Association. His awards include APA’s Distinguished International Psychologist of the Year, Distinguished Lecturer of the Year, and the award for Distinguished Contributions to International Psychology. He also earned the American Psychological Society’s prestigious James M. Cattell Award. Triandis is a former Guggenheim Fellow, Ford Foundation Faculty Fellow, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Fellow of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology. He also served as a Distinguished Fulbright Professor and as President for the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. He has authored seven books, including Culture and Social Behavior, and edited the six-volume Handbook of Cross-Cultural Psychology.