Then, we analyzed the correlations of sense of control with the degree of praise seeking and need to avoid rejection.

We measured the sense of control in a task in which performance was randomly determined and manipulation had no effect. We examined this in the context of individual differences. According to this hypothesis, the illusion of control is involved in signaling one’s ability to control events. These modules are in operation separately when it is important to make accurate decisions and when it is advantageous to signal one’s own usefulness to others. The module hypothesis posits that obtaining accurate information and signaling one’s usefulness involve distinct modules. It is unclear why this illusion occurs in cases where obtaining accurate information is adaptive. Illusion of control is a form of self-deception in which individuals overestimate their ability to control events and have inappropriately higher expectations of success than is justified by objective probability. Finally, we contrast our evolutionary approach to self-deception with current theories and debates in psychology and consider some of the costs associated with self-deception. We then discuss the interpersonal versus intrapersonal nature of self-deception before considering the levels of consciousness at which the self can be deceived. Given the variety of methods for deceiving others, it should come as no surprise that self-deception manifests itself in a number of different psychological processes, and we discuss various types of self-deception.

We propose that this is achieved through dissociations of mental processes, including conscious versus unconscious memories, conscious versus unconscious attitudes, and automatic versus controlled processes. The question then arises of how the self can be both deceiver and deceived. Beyond its role in specific acts of deception, self-deceptive self-enhancement also allows people to display more confidence than is warranted, which has a host of social advantages.

Self-deception has two additional advantages: It eliminates the costly cognitive load that is typically associated with deceiving, and it can minimize retribution if the deception is discovered. In this article we argue that self-deception evolved to facilitate interpersonal deception by allowing people to avoid the cues to conscious deception that might reveal deceptive intent.

Deception by William G. Roberts