Why might a social scientist question whether people’s self-understandings are accurate?

In the philosophy of social science, researchers may question the accuracy of people’s self-understandings because these perceptions can be systematically mistaken, masked by ideology, or influenced by irrationality. When agents’ self-understandings are at variance with their actual social or personal reality, social scientists engage in ideology critique to assess the rationality of these beliefs and uncover the underlying causes of such delusions.1

Several factors contribute to why self-understandings may be inaccurate:

• Ideology and Social Structure: Individuals may be under the control of an ideology that obscures their true social position or interests, a concept often explored through the lens of false consciousness in Marxist theory.21
• Cognitive Biases: Humans are prone to cognitive bias, which are systematic errors in reasoning caused by subjective perceptions. These mental shortcuts, or heuristics, often operate subconsciously, leading individuals to misinterpret objective facts or reinforce existing beliefs while ignoring contradictory evidence.3
• Egocentrism: Even in adulthood, individuals may struggle with egocentrism, failing to recognize the subjective nature of their own perceptions or the existence of alternative perspectives.4

By identifying these distortions, social scientists aim to explain why misunderstandings arise and how they might be corrected.1