Tim Wilson is a social psychologist and researcher at the University of Virginia and author of Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious. Scientific investigations by Wilson and others indicate that we are not all that good at knowing ourselves and, in fact, are much more capable of deceiving ourselves. While “look within” and “listen to your inner voice” have long been celebrated mantras by philosophers for centuries as the pathway to self-knowledge, these are now called into question. For example, scientific studies on choice-making and the rationales for our choices, including Wilson’s well-know Poster Test experiment, suggest that our motivations and preferences often defy subjective explanation, a phenomenon called the “Introspection Illusion” This research challenges the underpinnings of Freud’s psychoanalysis, which is largely based on introspection as the primary means by which we may come to know ourselves more fully.

For Wilson, introspection does little to get at previously unrecognized aspects of ourselves but, rather, stimulates the construction of self-narratives that are typically highly misleading, made up mostly of “confabulations.” In fact, Wilson conceptualizes an “adaptive unconscious”; this is the structured component of the mind directed toward concealing or bypassing that which we do not want to know or understand about our character. Distinct from Freud’s unconscious which consists of repressed urges and drives, Wilson’s adaptive unconscious features automated perceptual processes outside of our awareness that appear to serve an evolutionary function. At the core of the adaptive unconscious are our true attitudes, biases, judgments and feelings – which are ultimately camouflaged by conscious thought that “spins” our deeper mental reality favorably like a “psychological immune system.” In the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, October 1, 2022 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will explore Wilson’s work and its implications for self-knowledge, interpersonal connection, and psychological growth. NPR’s “Hidden Brain” podcast episode featuring Wilson will be a central focus of our discussion.

*Registration Directions: If you would like to attend the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, October 1, 2022, 10:15 to 11:30 AM, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com no later than Thursday, September 29, 2022. The fee is $25.00 (payable before entering the virtual meeting) and informed consent for participation in this telehealth event must be completed prior to the seminar. Please note that the Men’s Group Seminar is psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and does not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.