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EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 89
Zidane apologized to the worldwide children and fans for his
actions, but he remained unrepentant to Materazzi and rationalized
that Materazzi’s statements provoked him. Zidane’s comments
demonstrate the seriousness of his high-profi le hijack. His logic was
suppressed by the powerful tunnel vision survival reaction of the
amygdala. No one else can make you do something against your
better judgment, but the amygdala always can.
Zidane rationalized later that he knew there were only minutes
left in his last career game and Materazzi’s remarks demanded
retaliation. He was not thinking logically at that time, and his
response in explaining his behavior afterward characterizes what
we call cognitive dissonance. In other words, he sought to explain
his action by arguing that there must have been a good reason to do
something so stupid in front of 28.8 million viewers.
TIGER WOODS’S SEX SCANDAL
The world’s best golfer is suddenly discovered to have had
multiple affairs or fl ings outside of his marriage. He is known as a
private person who calls himself and his wife Elin “boring people.”
We further learn that he backed out of his driveway in the morning
and hit a fire hydrant, damaging his car, and got banged up himself.
Then after attempts to deal with the matter privately he admits
to numerous transgressions—as many as 14 different women over
many years—and enters a sex addiction clinic. What happened to
his self-assessment and insight into himself? How could he think
no one would fi nd out? Where did his IQ go? What prevented him
from managing these impulses? Will he ever be able to get back his
career without distractions? How many millions of dollars will he
continue lose as a Fallen Star? These questions will be answered
in the months and years to come. What was he thinking? Again, he
wasn’t.
In his apology, Tiger Woods stated, “I convinced myself normal
rules didn’t apply to me. . . . I thought I could get away with what-