I just finished a book[1] that explains this pretty clearly. Dissonance between reality and a person&#x27;s self-image (i.e. &quot;I am difficult to fool&quot;) is often &#x27;resolved&#x27; in favor of the more important factor, which is the person&#x27;s self-image. So they deny reality.<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Mistakes-Were-Made-But-Not&#x2F;dp&#x2F;B003HFFIUM&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Mistakes-Were-Made-But-Not&#x2F;dp&#x2F;B003HFFI...</a>