self-delusion
Lying to yourself
Self-delusion is the act of deceiving oneself, believing something false because the truth is uncomfortable or threatening.
Unlike being deceived by others, self-delusion involves an unconscious conspiracy against one's own better judgment: His confidence was pure self-delusion—everyone could see he was failing.
The term often implies willful blindness to evidence that contradicts cherished beliefs.
Excessive admiration of oneself
- grandiosityExaggerated sense of importance
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
Rejection of connection
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- repudiationFormal refusal to accept
- refusalAct of declining
- disregardWillful lack of attention
dismissal · avoidance · evasion · blindness · suppression · negation · unseeing
Inventing acceptable motives afterward
- justificationReason proving rightness
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misperceptionIncorrect interpretation of reality
- misbeliefFalse notion held true
Conscious fantasy while awake
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- dreamworldImaginary realm during slumber
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
- unrealityQuality of being imaginary
narcissism
Excessive admiration of oneself
- grandiosityExaggerated sense of importance
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- hubrisRuinous excessive confidence
vanity · egocentrism · conceit · megalomania · overestimation
disavowal
Rejection of connection
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- repudiationFormal refusal to accept
- refusalAct of declining
disregard · dismissal · avoidance · evasion · blindness · suppression · negation · unseeing
rationalization
Inventing acceptable motives afterward
- justificationReason proving rightness
- distortionTwisting from original state
- misperceptionIncorrect interpretation of reality
daydream
Conscious fantasy while awake
- make-believeImaginative play or fantasy
- dreamworldImaginary realm during slumber
- escapismHabitual mental retreat
unreality · fiction · invention · romanticizing · idealization
- inner turmoilinner turmoil, inner conflict, inner struggle, indecision, turmoil
- egoego, egoism, big ego, egotism, egocentrism
- narcissismnarcissist, narcissistic personality disorder, ego, vanity, arrogance
self-delusionself-awareness
Insight into one's psyche
self-knowledge · self-understanding · introspection · self-examination · self-reflection
self-delusionmanipulation
Underhanded control of others
fraud · gaslighting · propaganda · disinformation · brainwashing
self-delusionlucidity
Clearness of mind
clear-sightedness · realism · rationality · objectivity · level-headedness
self, illusion, elusive, delusion, delude, illusory, deluded, illusionist, selfhood