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Carol Tavris is such a legend, and so fun. Carol has worked as a social psychologist for decades and written several fascinating books. Today, we spend most of our time talking about the book she coauthored with Elliot Aronson called Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts.

BUT, we also talk about anger, which is related, and happens to be the topic and the title of another one of Carol’s books.

For starters, though, we get into cognitive dissonance, why it’s so hard for us to see our own blind spots, and why self-justification is generally more powerful and dangerous than an explicit lie. Carol breaks down the pyramid of choice that can lead us, step by step, to a place we never thought we’d wind up. In doing so, she helps us understand our own behaviors and motives better. And she helps us to see others more clearly.

Toward the end of our conversation, Carol shares some fascinating findings about anger and catharsis that turn a few assumptions on their head. And after our conversation wraps, I’m reading a bit more directly from Carol’s book about this.

Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

Anger: The Misunderstood Emotions

ELISE: