Nobody appreciates making a mistake. For every one of us, it's an awful emotional experience. The question is how we react when it turns out we were wrong____when there wasn't enough milk for coffee, when we got stuck in traffic and missed our trip, or when we learn that the man who spent five years in prison because of our identification was actually innocent all along?

"Oops, you were correct," some of us confess. "We should've gotten more milk,

"We had plenty of time to get to the airport on time if the traffic hadn't been particularly terrible," some of us suggest, but not clearly or in a way that is satisfying to the other person, "We had plenty of time to get to the airport on time if the traffic hadn't been exceptionally bad." But that's alright; next time, we'll leave earlier."

 Why Is It So Difficult To Admit You're wrong?

 According to Guy Winch, a psychologist, speaker, and author, most people who refuse to admit they're wrong do so because their egos are so fragile. As a defense mechanism, they remain silent and insist that they are correct. This is referred to as "psychological rigidity" by professionals. They have a subliminal belief that if they dig in their heels, they will be protected from the repercussions of their imperfection and fallibility (e.g., being seen as weak, loss or retaliation). Winch also points out that some people go to incredible lengths to avoid being held accountable, even manipulating facts and convincing themselves of new realities in their own minds.

 If you want the person to accept they're wrong in this case, the most important thing you can do is build them up. You must persuade them that infallibility does not imply solitude or something even worse.

 Whether the perpetrator has an ego problem or a work-life balance issue, give or improve all Six Sources of Influence. These include the following:   

1. Personal motivation—inner motivations and aspirations; whether you want to do it or not (make the undesirable desirable)
2. Social motivation— whether or if others push you to achieve something (peer pressure)
3. Structural motivation is a type of systemic motivation that encourages you to prioritize one item above another in order to save time, earn benefits, or prevent danger (design rewards and demand accountability)
4. Personal ability—whether you can do it because you have the necessary abilities or because you are competent (surpass limits)
5. Structural ability—systemic setups that make it logistically easier to complete a task or desirable behavior through modeling, resources, or teaching from others (find strength in numbers)
6. Social ability—improving skills or competence through the modeling, resources, or teaching from others (find strength in numbers) (a change in the environment).

 To face the consequences of your own actions needs confidence.

We make errors, say things we don't mean, and harm people we care about. But then we confess we were wrong, apologize, make amends, and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. That is exactly how it should be.

Nobody is flawless, and that's just fine. What isn't acceptable is refusing to recognize you've made a mistake and blaming your mistakes on something or someone else. To face the consequences of your own actions needs confidence.