why is it so hard for others to admit their mistake?

Question

why do other people strive to make their mistake no a 'mistake'?

Answer 1

I'm guessing here that you mean the sort of mistake when someone comes to you for advice, they take the advice, and things wind up a mess (as opposed to someone just asking a factual question like "What's the capital of Latvia," or maybe "In what year was the Battle of Hastings fought?"). Well, first off, it's no fun being wrong--I mean, someone comes to you for advice because either they respect you, or consider you to posses a great depth of knowledge in whatever subject they need advice in. They ask, you advise, the situation goes straight into the crapper (This particular scenario has been played out countless times between George W. Bush and Karl Rove--but I betray my bias). Now the right thing to do is to be a stand-up person and admit you #%&*ed up. Let's face it nobody's perfect, and people who take their lumps when they're wrong are generally admired for doing so. BUT--many people (and I have been guilty of this in the past) will let their minds wander along one the following thought processes. 1) "If I admit to being wrong, they are going to somehow want me to make good on this mistake. (As in "Well, Mr. Bull Market, you were the one who told me what a bargain the Enron stock was at $78.50 a share. The least you could do is repay the $78,000 I lost following your advice.") 2) "If I admit to being wrong, nobody is going to want my opinion on this matter again." ("Looking to by an HDTV? Don't ask him about it. That piece of crap plasma set I have? Bought it on his advice."). 3) If I admit to being wrong, everybody will think of me as a schmuck on ANY subject. ("Why are you asking him about whole house air conditioners? He's the one who told me that gas prices were going down, and to go ahead and buy the Ford Excursion."). And finally, 4) (If you're a husband, you are painfully aware that this really does happen in real life) If I admit to being wrong, this mistake will take on a life of its own, and be grounds for assuming I am wrong about something comepletely different 15 YEARS FROM NOW! ("Oh, I'm going to ask YOU what color would look good in the master bedroom? YOU'RE the one who insisted we spent ten days at Disney World during the hottest, most humid, most crowed time of the year...in 1986.)
This is really an oversimplification. There are billions of people in the world, and probably just as many reasons for not admitting to mistakes, but it's a brief mention of some the reasoning I've encountered (and been guilty of as well) in real life. Oh, there is a #5 I just thought of...Many people can't admit to making a mistake, because (in THEIR minds) they've never made a mistake. (These folks can be identified by their use of phrases such as "I told you so," "Maybe next time you'll listen to me," and "My mother was right about you.") I hope this will start a discussion of sorts, and you'll get lots of answers. Incidentally, I've only been wrong once in my life--yeah, I thought I made a mistake, but it turned out I didn't. (If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn that you can buy---real cheap!)

Answer 2

Pride? They don't see the virtue of admitting a mistake when logically confronted with it, and think it's better to defend their decisions at all costs against criticism. Maybe they believe that if they admit a mistake, no one will value their opinions afterwards, which is false but they might think that. Or maybe they really don't or can't see their mistake as a mistake because their self-worth is too involved. Maybe it's lack of self-examination, or too much pressure to appear or be perfect.

Answer 3

oh the two r no longer hassle-free! to could desire to inform human beings u made a mistake incredibly a extensive one or one which impacted them is incredibly confusing (and particular ive been there) on the different hand particularly situations coming to the top that u have been incorrect and made judgements in keeping with that information could properly be very no longer hassle-free to stay with.

Answer 4

Maybe yuo're the one who's wrong.
Would you admit that?

Answer 5

it's hard 2 admit because u might get screamed and get in trouble