216. Why Do We Make Excuses?

Is it better to explain a mistake or just accept responsibility? What’s the difference between an excuse and a justification? And why is it important to remember that you’re not a pizzeria on the Jersey Shore?

SOURCES:Robert Cialdini • , professor of psychology at Arizona State University. Raymond Higgins • , professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas. Martin Seligman • , professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Rick Snyder • , professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas.

RESOURCES: • " ‘Explain, but Make No Excuses’: Service Recovery After Public Service Failures • ," by Matthias Döring ( Public Management Review, • 2022). • " To Justify or Excuse?: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Explanations • ," by John C. Shaw, Eric Wild, and Jason A. Colquitt ( Journal of Applied Psychology, • 2003). • " Excuses: Their Effective Role in the Negotiation of Reality • ," by C. R. Snyder and Raymond L. Higgins ( Psychological Bulletin, • 1988). • " The Attributional Style Questionnaire • ," by Christopher Peterson, Amy Semmel, Carl von Baeyer, Lyn Y. Abramson, Gerald I. Metalsky, and Martin E. P. Seligman ( Cognitive Therapy and Research, • 1982).

EXTRAS: • " How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong? • " by No Stupid Questions • (2021). • " Under the Boardwalk • ," song by The Drifters (1964).

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