Why Good People Do Bad Things exposes the two contradictory forces that exist within each of us: the force that compels us to give and receive love, be contributing members of our community, and succeed in our endeavors; and the force that holds us back, sabotages our best efforts, and repeatedly steers us in a direction that is inconsistent with our deepest goals and values. By revealing the signposts that lead to disaster, Ford helps us recognize the devastation of denying our own and other people’s darker characteristics and helps us to heal this split. Through honesty and Ford’s candor, we learn the traps of self-deception and self-sabotage and gain the tools to be the good person we always intended to be.