In this article we argue that self-deception evolved to facilitate interpersonal deception by allowing people to avoid the cues to conscious deception that might reveal deceptive intent. Self-deception has two additional advantages: It eliminates the costly cognitive load that is typically associated with deceiving, and it can minimize retribution if the deception is discovered. Beyond its role in specific acts of deception, self-deceptive self-enhancement also allows people to display more confidence than is warranted, which has a host of social advantages. (...) The question then arises of how the self can be both deceiver and deceived. We propose that this is achieved through dissociations of mental processes, including conscious versus unconscious memories, conscious versus unconscious attitudes, and automatic versus controlled processes. Given the variety of methods for deceiving others, it should come as no surprise that self-deception manifests itself in a number of different psychological processes, and we discuss various types of self-deception. We then discuss the interpersonal versus intrapersonal nature of self-deception before considering the levels of consciousness at which the self can be deceived. Finally, we contrast our evolutionary approach to self-deception with current theories and debates in psychology and consider some of the costs associated with self-deception. (shrink)

Commentators raised 10 major questions with regard to self-deception: Are dual representations necessary? Does self-deception serve intrapersonal goals? What forces shape self-deception? Are there cultural differences in self-deception? What is the self? Does self-deception have costs? How well do people detect deception? Are self-deceivers lying? Do cognitive processes account for seemingly motivational ones? And how is mental illness tied up with self-deception? We address these questions and conclude that none of them compel major modifications to our theory of self-deception, although (...) many commentators provided helpful suggestions and observations. (shrink)

Gegenstand vorliegender Arbeit ist das Problem des fehler haften Staatsakts. Dementsprechend besteht ihre eigentliche Auf gabe darin, jene Schwierigkeiten darzulegen und zu iiberwinden, welche eine Theorie des fehlerhaften Staatsakts bietet. Die Ge winnung grundsatzlicher Klarheit iiber Ziel und Weg schien dabei um so mehr gefordert, als die bisherigen Versuche einer wissen schaftlichen Behandlung des Gegenstandes zwar unbestreitbar wert volle Einzelausfiihrungen, keineswegs aber methodische Sicherheit gebracht haben. Insoweit dieser Mangel nach hier vertretener Ansicht an der Haltlosigkeit des angewandten formalistischen Ver fahrens (...) liegt, bilden nachfolgende Untersuchungen einen Beitrag zu einer teleologischen Methode der Rechtsauslegung iiberhaupt. Herr Dr. med. hon. c. Ferdinand Springer iibernahm hoch herzigerweise auch unter den gegenwartigen Verhaltnissen die Drucklegung meiner Arbeit. Wieviel ich ihm damit verdanke, kann nur ganz ermessen, wer in heutiger Zeit seine wissenschaft liche Laufbahn erst beginnt. Berlin, Dezember 1923. Ernst von Hippel. Inhaltsverzeichnis. Seite Erster Teil. Einfiihrung. § 1. Der Begriff des fehlerhaften Staatsakts im Sinne vorliegender Arbeit... •....... 3 a) Der Begriff des Staatsakts 1 b) Der Begriff des Fehlers. 1 Zweiter Teil. Die formalistische Behandlung des fehlerhaften Staatsakts. (shrink)

Von Hippel & Trivers reason that the potential benefits of successfully deceiving others provide a basis for the evolution of self-deception. However, as self-deceptive processes themselves provide considerable adaptive value to an individual, self-deception may have evolved as an end in itself, rather than as the means to an end of improving other-deception.

Von Hippel & Trivers (VH&T) interpret belief in God and belief in strong government as the outcome of an active process of self-deception on a worldwide scale. We propose, instead, that these beliefs might simply be a passive spin-off of efficient cognitive processes.

In this essay, we consider helicases, defined as enzymes that use the free energies of binding and hydrolysis of ATP to drive the unwinding of double‐stranded nucleic acids, and ask how they function within, and are “coupled” to, the macromolecular machines of gene expression. To illustrate the principles of the integration of helicases into such machines, we consider the macromolecular complexes that direct and control DNA replication and DNA‐dependent RNA transcription, and use these systems to illustrate how machines centered around (...) coupled polymerase–helicase systems can be regulated by small changes in the interactions of their functional components. BioEssays 25:1168–1177, 2003. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (shrink)

Von Hippel & Trivers (VH&T) propose that self-deception has evolved to facilitate the deception of others. However, they ignore the subjective moral costs of deception and the crucial issue of credibility in self-deceptive speech. A self-signaling interpretation can account for the ritualistic quality of some self-deceptive affirmations and for the often-noted gap between what self-deceivers say and what they truly believe.

Humans have a complex and dynamic mating system, and there is evidence that our modern sexual preferences stem from evolutionary pressures. In the current paper we explore male use of a dual mating strategy: simultaneously pursuing both a long-term relationship (pair-bonding) as well as short-term, extra-pair copulations (variety-seeking). The primary constraint on such sexual pursuits is partner preferences, which can limit male behavior and hence cloud inferences about male preferences. The aim of this study was to investigate heterosexual male mating (...) preferences when largely unconstrained by female partner preferences. In service of this goal, female full-service sex workers (N = 6) were surveyed on the traits and behaviors of their male clients (N = 516) and iterative cluster analysis was used to identify male mating typologies. Two clusters emerged: clients seeking a pair-bonding experience and clients seeking a variety experience. Results also suggested that romantically committed men were more likely to seek a variety experience than a relationship experience. We conclude that men desire both pair-bonding and sexual variety, and that their preference for one might be predicted by fulfilment of the other. These findings have implications for relationships, providing insight into motivations for male infidelity. (shrink)

Cultural variability in self-enhancement is far more pronounced than the authors suggest; the sum of the evidence does not show that East Asians self-enhance in different domains from Westerners. Incorporating this cultural variation suggests a different way of understanding the adaptiveness of self-enhancement: It is adaptive in contexts where positive self-feelings and confidence are valued over relationship harmony, but is maladaptive in contexts where relationship harmony is prioritized.

We treat meaning as nonphysical connection and potential organization. Meaning is a resource that can be used by animals to improve survival and reproduction. The evolu­tion of brains to exploit meaning occurred in two heuristic steps. First, solitary brains developed mental representations of patterns for learning and guiding adaptive action. Second, humankind greatly expanded the usefulness of meaning by using it collectively, such as by deliberately communicating information, creating a body of shared beliefs and understandings, and using meaning to organize (...) social life. The intentional application of meaning to life, as in the quest for a meaningful life, is a later development linked to ways of organizing behavior to maximize future outcomes and relate the individual to societal systems. (shrink)

How important is the ability to freely control eye movements for reading comprehension? And how does the parser make use of this freedom? We investigated these questions using coregistration of eye movements and event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) while participants read either freely or in a computer‐controlled word‐by‐word format (also known as RSVP). Word‐by‐word presentation and natural reading both elicited qualitatively similar ERP effects in response to syntactic and semantic violations (N400 and P600 effects). Comprehension was better in free reading but (...) only in trials in which the eyes regressed to previous material upon encountering the anomaly. A more fine‐grained ERP analysis revealed that these regressions were strongly associated with the well‐known P600 effect. In trials without regressions, we instead found sustained centro‐parietal negativities starting at around 320 ms post‐onset; however, these negativities were only found when the violation occurred in sentence‐final position. Taken together, these results suggest that the sentence processing system engages in strategic choices: In response to words that don't match built‐up expectations, it can either explore alternative interpretations (reflected by regressions, P600 effects, and good comprehension) or pursue a “good‐enough” processing strategy that tolerates a deficient interpretation (reflected by progressive saccades, sustained negativities, and relatively poor comprehension). (shrink)

Durch genomweite Analysen werden vielfältige gesundheitsrelevante Informationen über eine Person gewonnen. Solche Informationen können die Behandlung von Krankheiten verbessern. Sie ermöglichen aber auch Vorhersagen, ob eine Person und deren Verwandte in Zukunft möglicherweise erkranken werden. Der neuartige Charakter des Informationseingriffs und sein prädiktive Potential bedürfen der ethischen, juristischen und ökonomischen Reflexion, damit diese Technologie zum Wohl der Patienten, der Familienangehörigen und der Solidargemeinschaft eingesetzt werden kann. Die vorliegende Schrift leistet mit ihren interdisziplinären, vom BMBF finanzierten Analysen dazu einen Beitrag. Grundlagen (...) für einen ethisch und juristisch verantwortbaren Einsatz der Genomsequenzierung zu medizinischen Zwecken werden erörtert und Eckpunkte für Kostenanalysen sowie Elemente einer “Guten klinischen Praxis” präsentiert. (shrink)

Gerade im Gesundheitswesen ist die Frage nach (Gestaltungs-)Macht heikel. Aber wer anderen Gutes tun möchte, der muss wirksam tätig werden können. Dies beinhaltet immer auch soziale Gestaltungsmacht. Wie gehen Pflegende mit der ihnen übertragenen bzw. auferlegten Macht um? Wie viel Macht ist im Kontext von Medizin, Pflege und Gesundheitssorge nötig? Und wie nehmen die Patientinnen und Patienten sie wahr? *Oft fühlen sich Menschen, die unter einer akuten Krankheit leiden, ohnmächtig. Und so wirkt der Begriff der Macht, den wir oft genug (...) mit Herrschaft und Gewalt verbinden, in einem Bereich, in dem es um Fürsorge und Behandlung geht, merkwürdig fehl am Platz. Gleichwohl bringen Ressourcen wie Wissen und finanzielle Mittel automatisch die Frage nach Macht in der Fürsorge aufs Tapet. Das Buch fragt nach der moralischen Bedeutung von Gestaltungsmacht und sucht das prekäre Verhältnis von Macht und Fürsorge ethisch auszuloten. (shrink)