July 10, 2024
This article talks about self delusion and discusses top 9 ways we deceive ourselves.
Everyone is self-delusional. It’s very difficult to have an accurate view of life or of yourself.
We’re naturally blind to ourselves, and our view of the world is inherently biased.
We filter our view of the world through our experiences and preferences.
Having an 100% accurate view of life is impossible and some people are closer than others.
These self-delusions can be very damaging as they can hinder your progress in life.
If you’re playing the game of life with faulty information, you’re going to have a difficult time finding a way to win.
Here are some common ways that we delude ourselves.
1. Thinking we're not capable of being a monster.
We’re not as far removed from a lot of people in prison as you might think.
History has proven that “normal” people are very capable of monstrous behavior under the right circumstances.
2. We're not as wise as we think we are.
Everyone thinks they have more insight, wisdom, and experience than they really do.
Unless you’ve been working very hard in a particular field for several years, you may not know as much as you think.
3. Self Delusion: We don’t know how others view us.
This is the most common delusion of all.
We believe that we’ve hidden our negative character traits, bad habits, and weaknesses from others.
Yet most people know more about us than we think.
4. Not making decisions based on logic.
We all like to believe that we use our intellect to make good decisions, but that’s rarely the case.
Most decisions are based on emotion. The intellect is only used to create justification for making a less than ideal decision.
5. We care what other people think.
We tell ourselves that we don’t care what anyone thinks, but that’s almost certainly a delusion.
Most people consider the opinion of others in just about every decision they make.
6. We’re terrible at estimating how long something will take.
Whether it’s how long it will take to drive across town or complete your taxes, we’re far too optimistic more often than not.
7. Self Delusion: We believe that we have no other options.
Many people feel stuck in life. When we feel that we're out of options, it's often not true.
We might not like the options available to us and we might even not see the options. However in reality we do have choices.
8. We think we know all our weaknesses.
We don’t know all our weaknesses or our strengths for that matter.
There are several things holding us back that we don’t realize. Ask a trusted friend what your weaknesses are and see for yourself.
9. Self Delusion: Many of the problems in our current and past relationships are our own fault.
No one is perfect in a relationship. It certainly wasn’t all our fault, but we’re nowhere near 100% innocent either.
Go ask all your exes what you did wrong in your relationships, and you’ll hear the same answers over and over.
There’s probably someone in your circle that you view as delusional.
Conversely, there are plenty of people that think you’re delusional as well, and they’re correct!
Summing Up
Everyone has an inaccurate view of themselves and the world in which they live.
It’s a part of human nature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach the point that your views are much more realistic.
Take the time to examine yourself and your life. Consider the list of common self-delusions above.
Self-reflection is one of the best ways to stop deluding yourself.
You can do this by any number of methods - for instance, keeping a journal.