A Thinking Error. You convince yourself that you are really a good and decent person and resent the idea that you are a criminal even though you clearly committed criminal acts which are not good and decent. The false image of yourself as a good person gives you permission to continue committing crimes. You minimize the harm you have caused and may refer to a planned, serious crime as a mistake. Your crimes may lead to lifetimes of devastating pain or even death for victims, but you will view the fact that you have done some good deeds as canceling out the harm you’ve done.
