Mistakes Were Made is divided into eight well-written chapters. Although the authors are both social psychologists, the book doesn't read like a dull textbook or dry research article in a medical journal. Aronson, who also wrote The Social Animal, is known for writing in an engaging and witty manner. On a personal note, reading The Social Animal in a social psychology course at UCLA was a major factor in igniting my interest in social psychology, to the point that I studied it in graduate school.
The book is nicely balanced, providing both real-world examples of cognitive dissonance and the decades of scientific research behind it. The first chapter provides a strong introduction to cognitive dissonance, while the rest of the chapters explore the potential, sometimes devastating consequences it can have on society. One good, sobering example is Chapter 5, which focused on the legal system. The authors concluded that one reason to account for the number of wrongful convictions is due to how cognitive dissonance is experienced by not only the arresting officers, but by prosecuting attorneys and judges. While it's one thing for cognitive dissonance to lead my father to believe that he knows more than my doctor, it's another for a person to spend a lifetime in prison because the prosecutors or police refuse to acknowledge evidence of his or her innocence.
You don't need to be interested in social psychology to appreciate Mistakes Were Made. All you need is a curiosity about human nature. If you've ever wondered why smokers continue to puff away in spite of knowing the risks; if you've ever argued with a friend over conflicting memories of a shared event; or if you're puzzled as to how decent, honest people can be corrupted, check out this book.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net , which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States, and to Boston.com. Nice work!