Vital Lies, Simple Truths1985

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.