Positive Self-deception.

Positive self-deception is the act of convincing oneself of truth or lack of truth for the sole purpose of self-fulfilment and positivity. The Oxford Academic Journals defines deception as the deliberate distortion of information in order to deceive others. However, positive self-deception is different from other forms of deception because it aims to produce positive results for the greater good. Truly, the act of deception is totally frowned at as it encourages lack of truth, deceit and falsehood in the society. However, it is important to understand that positive self-deception is not aimed at hurting others. what it does is, it controls the narrative.

The “narrative” here may be the one being fed to you by your own mind, or even by very mean people. It could be the narrative that comes to you when the not-so-beautiful thoughts creep in. Positive self-deception feeds you with the confidence that you so desperately need to get things done even when a voice in your head is saying you can’t. Positive self-deception is good because it helps bring you out of the shell you have unknowingly created for yourself.

It does not only increase your self-esteem astronomically, but it continues to do so momentarily. I know what you are thinking. You are probably saying to yourself “How can deception be positive?”.

Deception can be positive when it brings about peace, stability and productivity. It is indeed no surprise that every leading state in the international political system adopts diplomacy, manipulation and even deception as a tactic for it to remain a driving force globally. To simply put this, deception is a skill that should be embraced by all whenever the need arises. The keyword here is “awareness”. You have to be “aware” of the process you are about to embark on and the result you desire to get. As helpful as positive self-deception can be, it can also be the most treacherous of all deceptions.

Positive self-deception must be an “intentional” act. If it isn’t, then there is nothing that separates you from a person who is suffering from a borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder and any other psychological disorder. The truth is that we all engage in self-deception, be it positive or negative. We are sometimes deceitful and other times, we are not truthful to ourselves.

Many would argue that the overestimation of one’s abilities can only lead to doom. Some also will argue that self-deception would only make one take cognisance of the good qualities they have and blind them from the negative qualities which they bear. My solution to the above argument remains mental “awareness”. You can not say a person mustn’t fill himself with positive self-deception when he is continually faced with vices that make him believe he is not good enough. These negativities are everywhere, they are on every social platform, they are in our workplaces, they exist even amidst friends and family members we take dear to our hearts.

Why do I have to feel guilty about telling myself how extraordinary I am or how smart I am when there is someone or something always trying to make me feel like I am not good enough? where is the logic in that? I should in fact tell myself wonderful things, whether or not they are exaggerated. In the process, I could as well set aside time to work on myself, making sure I do not do things to deceive myself. This is why when mental health is concerned, it is very important to do things that would make you feel good and at the same feel adequate.

Finally, I must state that mental health should not be aimed at improving the public perception of us but the perception of ourself. Ultimately, if it means adopting positive self’-deception in achieving this, then permit me to yell “WAY TO GO !!!”

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