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Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.31820/ejap.13.1.2

Justifying Oneself

Mark Piper ; James Madison University


Full text: english pdf 165 Kb

page 27-38

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Abstract

At present, the activity of justifying oneself is mostly discussed in psychology, where it is typically viewed as a negative or at least regrettable activity involving changing one’s attitudes, beliefs, and feelings in order to minimize psychological threats arising from cognitive dissonance. Yet there is conceptual space, even a need, for an analysis of justifying oneself that is more content-neutral in nature. In this paper I provide such an analysis. Along the way I also briefly canvass some of the empirical work on self- justification in psychology and gesture towards issues surrounding the normative significance of the practice of justifying oneself.

Keywords

justification; self-justification; self-defence; commitment; internal justification; external justification; dialectical interaction

Hrčak ID:

188211

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/188211

Publication date:

24.10.2017.

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