A decision can make perfect sense at one point in life and look completely different months or years later. Yet many people continue defending it long after the original circumstances have changed. Someone may stay in a job because they once believed it offered security, defend an expensive purchase because they spent weeks researching it, or continue supporting a plan that clearly is not working because admitting the decision was wrong feels uncomfortable. This does not necessarily mean the person is irrational or incapable of changing. Psychology suggests that once people make a choice, the mind can become motivated to protect that choice, especially when it has become connected to identity, effort, money or self-esteem.
