People base thousands of choices across a lifetime on the views they
hold of their skill and moral character, yet a growing body of research
in psychology shows that such self-views are often misguided or
misinformed. Anyone who has dealt with others in the classroom, in the
workplace, in the medical office, or on the therapist's couch has
probably experienced people whose opinions of themselves depart from the
objectively possible.
This book outlines some of the common errors that people make when they
evaluate themselves. It also describes the many psychological barriers -
some that people build by their own hand - that prevent individuals from
achieving self-insight about their ability and character.
The first section of the book focuses on mistaken views of competence,
and explores why people often remain blissfully unaware of their
incompetence and personality flaws. The second section focuses on faulty
views of character, and explores why people tend to perceive they are
more unique and special than they really are, why people tend to possess
inflated opinions of their moral fiber that are not matched by their
deeds, and why people fail to anticipate the impact that emotions have
on their choices and actions.
The book will be of great interest to students and researchers in
social, personality, and cognitive psychology, but, through the
accessibility of its writing style, it will also appeal to those outside
of academic psychology with an interest in the psychological processes
that lead to our self-insight.
