Definition
The active misrepresentation of reality to the conscious mind in order to better deceive others
Introduction
After being introduced to evolutionary theory, Robert Trivers became interested in the counterintuitive paradox of self-deception. How could natural selection simultaneously favor the evolution of complex sensory organs and fine-tuned detection mechanisms while also selecting for the systematic distortion of information once received by the brain. The more he learned about social evolution, the more he was convinced that the driving force behind the evolution to deceive oneself was selection pressure to be better able to deceive others (Trivers 1985). Given the intense psychological warfare observed in social creatures, Trivers argued that selection could act to favor various forms of reality manipulation that would benefit the individual. One result of this coevolutionary arms race Trivers suggests was the evolution of human intelligence;...
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References
Cashdan, E., & Trivers, R. (2002). Self-deception. In M. Pagel (Ed.), Encyclopedia of evolution. New York: Oxford University Press.
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Trivers, R. (1991). Deceit and self-deception: The relationship between communication and consciousness. In M. Robinson & L. Tiger (Eds.), Man and beast revisited (pp. 175–191). Washington, DC: Smithsonian.
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Trivers, R. (2000). The elements of a scientific theory of self-deception. Annals NY Academy of Sciences, 907, 114–131.
Trivers, R. L. (2002). Natural selection and social theory: Selected papers of Robert Trivers. New York: Oxford University Press.
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Von Hippell, B., & Trivers, R. (2011). The evolution and psychology of self-deception. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 34, 1–56.
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Jacobson, A. (2016). Self-Deception. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1870-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1870-1
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