The Growth Mindset - Reducing Cognitive Dissonance

Just finished reading Mistakes were made (but not by me):
Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts.
by Carol Travis & Elliot Aronson

An interesting book about cognitive dissonance and how we try to resolve it: either by being more charitable to ourselves, or by being less so to others.

If you are in a rush, just read the first and last chapters. Chapters 2 to 7 are rich in examples, but once you are sold on the idea, they are largely unnecessary.

As happens to me so often, I find the 'solutions' chapters of such books (usually the last one) wanting. In this case Chapter 8 (Letting Go and Owning Up) did not offer as much as I wanted. But all was not lost.

Fittingly, the very last section of the last chapter is "Mistakes were made - By me." And, finally, with just two page to go, they bring first Stevenson and Stigler and then Carol Dweck to make that point that culturally Americans fear being wrong. (And, I might be putting words into mouths here, the way we bring up and educate our children perpetuates it.)

[Memorable quote] In 1985 Ronald Regan visited a German cemetery as part of the symbolism of the post-war reconciliation between Germany and the USA. This upset many because 49 Nazi officers were buried there. When asked for his reaction, Shimon Peres said:

When a friend makes a mistake, the friend remains a friend and the mistake remains a mistake.

Coming into those last two pages, Travis and Aronson later reprise this quote as a useful dissonance reducing strategy.

When I, a decent, smart person, make a mistake, I remain a decent, smart person, and the mistake remains a mistake. Now how do I remedy what I just did?

Presto! The segue into a growth mindset.