Vital lies, simple truths : the psychology of self-deception

Written by the author of "Emotional Intelligence", this is an analysis of the ways in which people deceive themselves.

Daniel Goleman draws on evidence of all kinds - from brain function to social dynamics - the reveal how people distort their most intimate relationships, their day-to-day lives by burying painful insights and memories.This self-deception is the human means of psychological self-preservation, the currency of survival in which all of society transacts.

But although self-deception is sometimes benign, it can also be dangerous and life-diminishing.

This work illuminates and raises challenging questions about a subject central to people's psychological existence.