ABSTRACT
Sometimes people come to believe what they are saying, even if their remarks are inconsistent with their attitudes, beliefs, or feelings. This phenomenon, known as self-persuasion, is a form of self-inference that has intrigued social psychologists for many years. In this chapter I will briefly review the literature on self-persuasion, and then present evidence for a new form of this type of attitude change. To anticipate, my students and I have found that when people try to explain why they feel the way they do they often bring to mind reasons that imply a new attitude, and as a result adopt this new outlook. I will discuss the reason this type of attitude change occurs, as well as its consequences for such areas as personal decision making.
