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105 of 105 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Vital Book With Simple Truths, March 3, 2001
This review is from: Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception (Paperback)
Goleman states his thesis using three premises in the early pages of his book: (1) The mind can protect itself against anxiety by dimming awareness. (2) This mechanism creates a blind spot: a zone of blocked attention and self-deception. (3) Such blind spots occur at each major level of behavior from the psychological to the social. (p. 22) With these principles as his map, Goleman writes an excellent study of human psychological behavior that, whether the reader approaches it as a journal of self-discovery (like me) or as a explanation for social "groupthink" (like me, again), it proved to be very helpful. I enjoyed how Goleman supported his ideas with recent research and how he used quotes and references to support his ideas. Mapping out why we cover our anxieties with delusional behaviors, well, I think it is fascinating and the applications are immense.
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73 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Tool for Sharpening Critical Thinking Skills, February 17, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception (Paperback)
Have you ever been burnt in a business deal by someone you thought you knew well? How many times have you taken action only later to find out you ignored key facts that were right in front of you? An early book by the author of the best-seller Emotional Intelligence, this work focuses on the many ways in which our minds play tricks on us. Goleman uses a series of short vignettes, from business, political and family scenarios, to illustrate his arguments. For example, he shows us how Nixon aide John Dean seemed to drive from his awareness the fact that he was not as important to the President as he asserted in his Watergate testimony. The chapter, "The Intelligent Filter", gives us a clear concept on how we so often screen out ideas and information that do not fit our assumptions. Reading this section can help us understand why innovative ideas get rejected without consideration, as we filter out new pieces of information even before they reach our awareness. From the perspective of Executive Community, applying what Goleman sees can help us untie the knots that develop in our business communications and block understanding and collaboration. Even more importantly, careful study of these concepts can help you be a better critical business thinker and a more effective leader. For those who want to delve deeper than the latest management fad book, Vital Lies, Simple Truths will give you several hours of intellectual challenge. This is a good tool for "sharpening the saw", as Stephen Covey might say.
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61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging, but worth the effort., June 30, 2005
This review is from: Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self-Deception (Paperback)
After reviewing some of the research and modern theory around narcissism, I was drawn to finding something of substance that explained more about grandiose thinking, or delusion. Luckily, the only decent looking book I found - Goleman's - turned out to be just as useful on the inside. Combining his information on the effects of pain, and how it dims awareness, was magical for me because of my experience with narcissists who also have alcohol and drug addictions.
I like the way Goleman touches on perception (see also Dr. Bruce Lipton's The Biology of Belief), self-esteem, projection, rationalisation, sublimation etc. On a collective level it becomes quite challenging when viewing the mirage realism or deception that some multi-national corporate and government leaders create. Perhaps a book who's subject matter is more applicable to world affairs than most of us realise.
Personally I would have liked more information about the links between the psychic numbing of awareness and the addiction to materialism as an opiate, but other than that I highly recommend it. It dovetails nicely into the findings from quantum science which shows its our consciousness which creates the filters through which we transform our reality.
At times I did find the reading tough going and would not recommend this for those people who might be embarking on a first tour of duty of psychological modelling.
Regards,
Daniel John Hancock
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