Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are

Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling

An expert on the psychology of belief examines how our thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions, respond not to the world as it actually is but to the world as we believe it to be.

This book explores the psychology of belief - how beliefs are formed, how they are influenced both by internal factors, such as perception, memory, reason, emotion, and prior beliefs, as well as external factors, such as experience, identification with a group, social pressure, and manipulation. It also reveals how vulnerable beliefs are to error, and how they can be held with great confidence even when factually false.

The author, a social psychologist who specializes in the psychology of belief, elucidates how the brain and nervous system function to create the perceptions, memories, and emotions that shape belief. He explains how and why distorted perceptions, false memories, and inappropriate emotional reactions that sometimes lead us to embrace false beliefs are natural products of mental functioning. He also shows why it is so difficult to change our beliefs when they collide with contradictions.

Covering a wide range -- from self-perception and the perceived validity of everyday experience to paranormal, religious, and even fatal beliefs--the book demonstrates how crucial beliefs are to molding our experience and why they have such a powerful hold on our behavior.
Country USA
Brand Prometheus Books
Manufacturer Prometheus
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2018-04-03
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9781633884038

Country	USA
Brand	Prometheus Books
Manufacturer	Prometheus
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2018-04-03
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781633884038

Belief: What It Means to Believe and Why Our Convictions Are So Compelling

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