Human beings aren't rational animals; we're rationalizing animals who want to appear reasonable to ourselves.
We need to challenge our own thinking.
Self-justification, therefore, is not only about protecting high self-esteem; it's also about protecting low self-esteem if that is how a person sees himself.
The American mind in particular has been trained to equate success with victory, to equate doing well with beating someone.
It is possible to achieve mastery of a problem or a skill without hurting another person or even without attempting to conquer.
