Definition: Moral Self Deception

In the continuing saga of the OVP's confidential funds investigation ... some people maintain their innocence despite the avalanche of evidence ... and some people believe they are patroness of virtues and righteousness ... na kailangan nating paniwalaan despite dissenting arguments from expert testimonies and whistle-blowers.  

The state they are in is a phenomenon called MORAL SELF-DECEPTION - a way of thinking where the person suppresses negative aspects of himself so they can attain and maintain a positive moral self-concept.

They are those people who falsely believe - in the face of strong evidence to the contrary - "na wala kaming ginagawang masama ... pero bakit hindi maexplain-explain." Hindi kami corrupt ... lalo na hindi kami magnanakaw ..." pero maraming  perang nawawala ... at bakit ayaw mag-take ng oath ... o kailangan magtago o ayaw sumipot sa hearing? Bakit kailangan pang mangibang bansa ... magpahospital at magpaopera at the middle of an important case and hearing?

Some of them say: "hindi po ako nagsisinungaling" ... pero bakit sila maglaro ng cat ang mouse sa Quadcom at bigla magkaroon ng nervous breakdown enough to railroad the ongoing hearing. "Na-stress po ako Ma'am ... eh bakit ka ma-stress kung nagsasabi ka man lang ng totoo? Nakakastress ba ang pagpahayag ng katotohanan ... the truth and nothing but?

Saan ka ba dapat kabahan: ang mag-attend ng hearing ng Quadcom or magwithdraw ng pera sa Land Bank unescorted ... pati ang magbitbit ng bulto-bultong pera sa bag (na alam ng lahat na milyones ang laman nito dahil galing ka sa banko) (bakit airport ba ang banko at kailangan mo ng luggage at traveling bag?) ... at hindi ka man lang natakot na may biglang rumatrat sa inyo at kunin ang perang hindi naman inyo?

Natatakot ka ba sa mga tanong sa Quadcom or natatakot kang bigla kang bumigay at maikanta mo ang lahat.. singing Dulce's familiar refrain "Kami Ang Nagwagi?" Nahihiya ka ba dahil meron kang pinagtakpan ... or nagtatakip ka para sa sarili mo dahil hindi mo matanggap that you are involved in the political scandal of the decade?

Hindi ka ba nahiya na bawat hearing pinagpiyestahan kayo ng lahat ng Marites at Marisol ng buong kapuluan at ginagawa kayong pang-himagas sa kanilang usapan? Yon ang nakaka-stress ... lalo na't nagtapang-tapangan ka pa sa hearing. Or nag-santo-santohan?

Sa totoo lang sawang-sawa na kami sa mga palusot na scripted katulad ng "I am not PRIVY sa meeting na iyan ... wala akong alam ... and I am not aware of this and that transaction kahit nakabuyangyang ang mga pirma nila ... patunay na alam nila. Yong privy na yan ... namamaga na ang tenga ko diyan ... I thought all the while only a chosen few uses the word ... aba halos lahat mula sa mga big honcho hanggang Usec and Asec ... naghahasec kayo ng lagim. Nagmukhang tuloy na ordinaryo na ang salita.

When the individual is headstrong and convinces themselves that their actions are valid & fitting despite the preponderance of evidence and statements to the contrary ... the person has moral self-deception - thus any statements he says have the hallmark of being untrue.

The psychology behind this phenomenon is plain and simple ... self-deception plays an important role in preserving a person's self-esteem by shielding the person from uncomfortable truths and criticism that frighten and jeopardize his positive self-image and good view of himself.

Other phrases with almost similar meaning include:

1. Cognitive dissonance is when the person feels uncomfortable when their actions collide with their values or beliefs. It happens when the person has two contradictory beliefs at the same time ... more like ambivalence (the only difference is that ambivalence involves two contradictory feelings instead of belief.)

2.  Confirmation bias - the tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed. The person only seeks information that agrees and conforms with what he believes in. They prefer only information that supports their pre-existing beliefs and expectations.

3. Ethical blindness - It is sometimes called moral blindness. The person cannot see the ethical dimension and aspect and that includes the repercussions of their actions and decisions

4. Naive Realism - is a phenomenon where the person's mindset and viewpoint are the objective truth ... making the person believe that whatever they are doing is beneficial and without a doubt inherently good.