A subtle scenario-based assessment of how reasoning changes when reality becomes personally inconvenient. It measures motivated reasoning, selective evidence, rationalisation, responsibility distortion, feedback resistance, hidden motives and other ways people protect preferred beliefs or self-images.
Answer with what would genuinely go through your mind. The test is not looking for confession,
modesty or self-criticism; automatically blaming yourself can be just as inaccurate as automatically excusing yourself.
The scoring looks for whether your standards, evidence or explanations change when a conclusion becomes personally
convenient or inconvenient. Mixed motives and ordinary defensiveness are normal and do not automatically score highly.
All 30 questions contribute to the self-deception profile.
The same answers are also scored against the personality dualities in the background.
Question 1 of 30
You buy something expensive after weeks of wanting it. Afterwards you find yourself explaining that it was mainly a sensible investment, even though that was not what excited you beforehand. How would you interpret your explanation?
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Question 2 of 30
You argue passionately for a principle in a disagreement. Later you realise that winning would also make you look competent in front of people whose opinion matters to you. What does that do to your confidence in your own reasoning?
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Question 3 of 30
One person who openly dislikes you gives vague criticism with no examples, and nobody else has raised the issue. How much should you change your view of yourself?
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Question 4 of 30
You decide not to attend an event hosted by someone you recently fell out with. You tell yourself it is because you are too busy, although you could make time if you wanted to. What would you say is the real reason?
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Question 5 of 30
You said you would judge a project successful if it reached a particular target. It reaches that target, but you still dislike the project. What should happen to your judgement?
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Question 6 of 30
A relationship ends after problems on both sides. Months later you notice your version of the story has gradually become one in which almost everything was caused by the other person. What would you do with that observation?
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Question 7 of 30
You start suspecting that a colleague is deliberately excluding you. What evidence would you look for before settling on that explanation?
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Question 8 of 30
A group decision goes badly. You argued strongly for it, but several other people agreed and important information was unavailable at the time. How much responsibility is yours?
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Question 9 of 30
A career choice you made years ago has become central to the story you tell about who you are. New information suggests the choice may have been based on a mistaken assumption. How would you think about that?
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Question 10 of 30
You perform badly at something after getting very little sleep. The lack of sleep genuinely mattered, but other people in the same situation performed better. What conclusion would you draw?
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Question 11 of 30
You are considering an expensive purchase you badly want. You read ten reviews: seven are positive, two are mixed and one describes a serious problem that would matter to you if true. What do you focus on?
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Question 12 of 30
You make a joke that hurts someone. You did not intend harm, but after they explain why it hurt you can see how it happened. What responsibility do you have?
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Question 13 of 30
Someone gives you a compliment that feels deeply true and validating, but they barely know you. How much does the feeling of being understood tell you that their judgement is accurate?
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Question 14 of 30
For years you have told a story about a conflict in which you were treated unfairly. You later find old messages showing that your own behaviour was significantly worse than you remembered. What happens to the story?
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Question 15 of 30
You have always described a past relationship as "completely toxic." Years later you realise there were also long periods of genuine care and that you contributed to some of the problems. Does that change the label?
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Question 16 of 30
After an argument you feel extremely guilty, even though the other person also behaved badly and you are unsure how much responsibility was actually yours. What does the guilt tell you?
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Question 17 of 30
You give someone advice that also happens to produce an outcome that benefits you. How would you decide whether your advice was really about their interests, your interests, or both?
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Question 18 of 30
You criticise someone for a behaviour using a particular standard. Later you realise you have done something very similar yourself. How should that affect the standard?
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Question 19 of 30
You believe a friend has become unreliable. Over the next month they cancel once, arrive on time four times and help you unexpectedly twice. How would those events affect your view?
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Question 20 of 30
Before a competition you say finishing in the top five would prove you performed well. You finish sixth by a tiny margin. Later you find yourself saying only winning really matters. What would you make of that change?
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Question 21 of 30
A person you dislike makes an argument you would normally agree with if someone else had said it. How would you decide whether the argument is any good?
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Question 22 of 30
You have a strong uneasy feeling that a new opportunity is wrong for you, but you cannot yet explain why. How should that feeling affect the decision?
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Question 23 of 30
You are very protective of a friend and strongly oppose their new partner. You have reasonable concerns, but you also fear losing closeness with your friend. How would you separate those motives?
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Question 24 of 30
You publicly predicted that a new policy at work would fail. Six months later the available results look clearly better than you expected. What goes through your mind?
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Question 25 of 30
You strongly dislike a colleague and believe it is because they are arrogant. Later you notice that your dislike began almost immediately after they were promoted ahead of you. What does that new fact mean?
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Question 26 of 30
You miss an important deadline because several genuine problems happened that week, but you also procrastinated earlier when you had time. How would you explain the miss?
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Question 27 of 30
A study strongly supports something you already believe, but you notice the sample is small and the method has weaknesses. How much weight would you give it?
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Question 28 of 30
You are criticised for not helping enough on a shared task. In reality the task was badly organised and expectations were unclear, but you also know you could have taken more initiative. How do you think about the criticism?
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Question 29 of 30
A performance review praises most of your work but contains one specific criticism that would require changing a habit you like. Which part is most likely to stay in your mind afterwards?
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Question 30 of 30
Three people who know you well independently tell you that you interrupt more than you realise. You do not experience yourself that way. How would you evaluate their feedback?
