True Confessions

Using Leon Festinger’s theories of cognitive dissonance, Gino Arcaro relates a simple fact often minimalized by truth-seekers, but in reality the key to obtaining a confession: “Everyone has a conscience. No exceptions. If you’re alive, you have a conscience. The myth of ‘no conscience’ actually means weak or dysfunctional conscience.” He further explains that a strong conscience is an interviewer’s best partner because it activates the compulsion to confess. “You can’t hide from inner demons; they have to be released. The power of a strong conscience has limitless lifting capacity. Appealing to the conscience means make the conscience functional and work. Triple meaning: make it work out, make it work right, and make it do all the work.”

 

Arcaro, a former police detective, combines his practical experience with solid studies on the human condition, producing an easily understood manual for anyone whose job it is to get the truth. A simple application of Arcaro’s strategies is in the Human Resources field, specifically during the job interview process. Law enforcement interviewers will also see True Confessions as a valuable tool – one that gives them a window into the psyche of a suspect under interrogation.