The Pros And Cons Of Self Deception

What is self-deception? How can you deceive yourself? Simply stated, self-deception is about unawareness. It is the thoughts that we hide from ourselves. If there is something we don’t like about ourselves instead of admitting it and confronting it to resolve it, we would rather gloss over it and move on to nicer things that make us feel good. We are uncomfortable dwelling on things that might make us question ourselves and our choices. We do this because if we are aware of it, it may require us to take action.

The problem with self deception is that we aren’t as perfect as we desire to be. We dare not admit that, especially to ourselves. Instead we live out our lives in a ‘manufactured’ way. We have trouble letting things fall as they may,

Instead of weighing it on its merits, we usually dismiss or discount the evidence. We aren’t always by reason and logic. People often engage in irrational thinking. We dismiss evidence that contradicts our point of view in order to maintain a version of the world and themselves which suits them. Our beliefs often are more important, than the actual evidence one encounters.

The pros and cons of Self Deception

Some degree of self deception is important when it comes to maintaining a romantic relationship. When people put the best possible spin on things, they are able to handle problems better. It allows people to ignore everyday mistakes. It allows people to see “the best” in their partner. Holding such positive illusions helps make a relationship work. Self deception helps couples cope with life’s problems and helps romantic partners get along better.

The downside of self-deception is that it can prevent us from dealing with important issues. This is where it can create more harm than good because it leads people to overlook serious problems which can be detrimental to one’s emotional, mental or physical health (e.g., infidelity, abuse, inconsiderate behavior, a lack of love, and so on). The trick is to engage in self-deception in order to see the best in a partner without letting self-deception create too much