Anthony Abbott

Summary

Key Insights

The Function of Self-Deception

• Self-deception serves to reduce anxiety, especially in situations we feel powerless to change.
• We block, ignore, or deny thoughts that provoke distress or threaten our self-image.
• The illusion of invulnerability (“Whatever I do will succeed”) protects ego but impairs judgment.
• Groups act like individuals—preserving “face” and ignoring inconvenient truths to maintain cohesion.

Attention, Memory, and Perception

• Attention is the gateway to memory—we remember what we attend to.
• Memory is essentially attention to the past.
• Blindsight shows how perception can occur without conscious awareness—damage to the brain can block awareness while preserving sensory function.
• The mind engages in “urban trance”—blocking out input in crowded or overwhelming environments.

Neurological and Biological Dimensions

• Pain suppression: When in mortal danger, the body disables pain response—highlighting how the brain can shut out even intense physical sensations.
• Stress arousal is helpful short-term (fight or flight), but destructive when prolonged.

Cultural and Political Denial

• Hibakusha (Japanese A-bomb survivors) faced denial not just from others but within themselves.
• The Swiss policy of 1939—“The boat is full”—is an example of national-level moral avoidance.
• Japanese historical revisionism attempts to sanitise war history to preserve national pride.
• The Buddhist term moha denotes delusion, dullness, and confusion—apt for mass self-deception.

Notes

• Self-deception = anxiety management
• Pain system can shut off during mortal danger
• Memory = attention to the past
• “Urban trance” = filtered perception
• Moha = Buddhist concept of delusion
• “Invulnerability illusion” blinds us
• Swiss WWII policy: “The boat is full”
• Japanese revisionism for national pride
• Groups self-deceive like individuals
• A child’s self-esteem is tied to their parents

Strengths

• Deeply Insightful:
  Goleman combines science, history, and ethics in a seamless narrative.
• Emotionally Resonant:
  His exploration of denial is not clinical—it is humane, even compassionate.
• Wide Scope:
  From individual coping mechanisms to national policies, the book covers a broad range.

Weaknesses

• No Clear Prescriptions:
  The book is more diagnostic than prescriptive—it tells us what we do, but less about how to stop.
• Dated Examples:
  Some case studies (e.g. Swiss or Japanese WWII policy) may feel removed from modern readers.

Reflections

Goleman’s key insight is this: we lie to ourselves not to be evil, but to survive. Denial, delusion, and repression aren’t simply flaws—they’re human defence mechanisms. But these mechanisms come at a cost: they prevent us from adapting, learning, and acting on reality.

His idea that attention is the basis of memory is particularly powerful. It reminds us to pay attention—not just to facts, but to discomfort, contradiction, and doubt.

This book also reminded me of Robert Trivers, who explored why people are patriotic. He argues that patriotism functions as a coping mechanism. We live in a volatile and frightening world, and one way we reduce fear is by convincing ourselves that we belong to a superior group. This makes us feel safer and better about ourselves. In Trivers’s view, self-deception serves a purpose: it helps us cope.

Conclusion

Vital Lies, Simple Truths is a quietly profound book. It explains not only why individuals avoid painful truths, but also how entire cultures and organisations do the same. Goleman gives us no easy way out, but he does offer a path to better self-awareness.

Book Details

Title: Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-DecepEon
Author: Daniel Goleman
Publication Year: 1997
Genre: Cognition and Cogniitive Psychology
Reference: Calandra Vol. 4 p. 53

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