Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and argument. Typically, self-deception is used to maintain false beliefs or delusions that one has an emotional attachment to. Self-deception can also include the defensive process of controlling and interrupting a discussion in order to try to prevent the opposing evidence and argument from even being presented.

Generally, the person engaged in self-deception is unaware that they are illogically defending their beliefs. It has been argued that humans are without exception highly susceptible to self-deception, as everyone has beliefs they are emotionally attached to. Some evolutionary biologists, such as Robert Trivers , have even suggested that, because deception is such an important part of human behaviour (and animal behaviour generally), an instinct for self-deception can give a person a selective advantage: if someone can believe their own lie, the theory goes, they will consequently be better able to persuade others of its 'truth'.

See also

• Point of no return
• True-believer syndrome
• Wishful thinking
• Cognitive dissonance
• Self-handicapping
• Rigour
• List of cognitive biases

External link

• Skeptic's Dictionary entry on self-deception