A theory that denies that thoughts can regulate actions does not lend itself readily to the explanation of complex human behavior.

Many people who gain recognition and fame shape their lives by overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles, only to be catapulted into new social realities over which they have less control and manage badly. Indeed, the annals of the famous and infamous are strewn with individuals who were both architects and victims of their life courses.

Stringent standards of self-evaluation [can] make otherwise objective successes seem to be personal failures

The presence of many interacting influences, including the attainments of others, create further leeway in how one's performances and outcomes are cognitively appraised

Moreover, joint occurrences tend to be better recalled than instances when the effect does not occur. The proneness to remember confirming instances, but to overlook disconfirming ones, further serves to convert, in thought, coincidences into causalities.

If there is any characteristic that is distinctly human, it is the capability for reflective self-consciousness.

Judgments of adequacy involve social comparison processes