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Columnist Sue Shellenbarger answers readers' questions

Q: Regarding your column on self-deception, what about negative self-deception, when people tell themselves they're much worse or uglier than they really are? Is self-deception a bell curve, where the peak is "accurate" and the tails show positive or negative self-deception?

A:The two kinds of thoughts—positive versus negative illusions about oneself—are believed to involve different psychological processes, says Del Paulhus, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia and creator of a scale to measure self-deceptive tendencies. Positive self-deception can be a defense against negative self-illusions, which typically spring from negative emotional states, such as depression. And accuracy would be hard to nail down as people's self-assessments "are frequently misguided or erratic," Dr. Paulhus says.

A bell curve's peak would more likely show the typical amount of self-deception measured in a sample of people, says Carrie Keating, a psychology professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. The norm would likely be high, she says; most people self-deceive at least sometimes, telling themselves "they're prettier, smarter, faster or better than they really are."

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