Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception

From the bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence comes a penetrating analysis of the many ways we deceive ourselves.

Daniel Goleman draws on evidence of all kinds—from brain function to social dynamics—to reveal how we skew our most intimate relationships, our day-to-day lives, and our common reality by burying painful insights and memories. This self-deception is our means of psychic self-preservation, the currency of survival in which an entire society colludes. But although self-deception is sometimes benign, it can also be dangerous and life-diminishing. This important book both illuminates and raises challenging questions about a subject that is central to our psychological existence.