Is it better to explain a mistake or just accept responsibility? What’s the difference between an excuse and a justification? And why is it important to remember that you’re not a pizzeria on the Jersey Shore?

SOURCES:
- Robert Cialdini, professor of psychology at Arizona State University.
- Raymond Higgins, professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas.
- Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Rick Snyder, professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas.

RESOURCES:
- "‘Explain, but Make No Excuses’: Service Recovery After Public Service Failures," by Matthias Döring (Public Management Review, 2022).
- "To Justify or Excuse?: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Explanations," by John C. Shaw, Eric Wild, and Jason A. Colquitt (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2003).
- "Excuses: Their Effective Role in the Negotiation of Reality," by C. R. Snyder and Raymond L. Higgins (Psychological Bulletin, 1988).
- "The Attributional Style Questionnaire," by Christopher Peterson, Amy Semmel, Carl von Baeyer, Lyn Y. Abramson, Gerald I. Metalsky, and Martin E. P. Seligman (Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1982).

EXTRAS:
- "How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
- "Under the Boardwalk," song by The Drifters (1964).

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