Final answer:
Individuals engage in self-deception to protect their self-esteem and self-concept, often using psychological strategies such as confirmation bias, belief perseverance, projection, and seeking agenticity. This self-deception can be influenced by compliance techniques and a need for closure. Theories by Carl Rogers, Charles Cooley, and the Dunning-Kruger effect help to explain how and why we maintain certain self-deceptions.
Step-by-step explanation:
We engage in self-deception for various reasons, many of which serve to enhance our self-esteem and self-concept. Self-deception can manifest through confirmation bias and belief perseverance, where we favor information that confirms our existing beliefs and resist evidence that contradicts them. This tendency can lead us to succumb to the Misinformation Effect, where our memories become influenced by misinformation, even while we believe we are immune to such effects.
Self-deception is also evident in the way we are influenced by compliance techniques, which can subtly manipulate our actions and attitudes. People often use projection to attribute their own undesirable thoughts or feelings to others, defensively altering their perception of reality to match their desires. Additionally, our desire for closure leads us to seek answers and explanations, which can result in clinging to incorrect assumptions or beliefs.
Another aspect of self-deception is our search for agenticity, or the human tendency to anthropomorphize and assign human characteristics to non-human entities, leading to an enhanced sense of control or understanding. This need can sometimes result in hallucinations or seeing patterns where none exist. Comprehending complex topics and achieving mastery contributes to our self-deception as well, providing pride in our knowledge (as per effect 57).
Carl Rogers' theory illuminates self-concept through the lens of the ideal self and the real self, stressing the importance of achieving congruence between these two selves to foster high self-worth and a healthy life. Through social interactions, as explained by Charles Cooley's looking-glass self, our self-concept is influenced by our perceptions of how others see us and their reactions to us.
The Dunning-Kruger effect illustrates a form of self-deception where individuals with limited knowledge overestimate their abilities, while experts may underestimate theirs, giving rise to epistemic overconfidence in different ways. Defense mechanisms, as per Freud, are unconscious efforts to protect the ego and distort reality.
Self-efficacy, a belief in one's capability to complete tasks, is crucial to motivation and behavior, as theorized by Albert Bandura. Social motives, such as the need for achievement, affiliation, and intimacy, drive various aspects of behavior, intersecting with concepts like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which span from biological to social motivations.