{"id":26710,"date":"2015-04-01T14:47:54","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T21:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?page_id=26710"},"modified":"2016-01-29T10:01:25","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T18:01:25","slug":"rationalization","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/rationalization\/","title":{"rendered":"Rationalization"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

Rationalization<\/strong> is an attempt to logically justify immoral, deviant, or generally unacceptable behavior. In Freud\u2019s classic psychoanalytic theory, rationalization is a defense mechanism<\/a>, an unconscious attempt to avoid addressing the underlying reasons for a behavior.<\/p>\n

Rationalizing an event may help individuals maintain self-respect or avoid\u00a0guilt<\/a> over something they have done wrong. In many cases, rationalization is not harmful, but continuous self-deception, when a person consistently makes excuses for destructive behavior, can become dangerous.<\/p>\n

Examples of Rationalization<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most of us engage in rationalization on a semi-regular basis. A person\u00a0might account for\u00a0a bad mood or general rude behavior by explaining that\u00a0bad traffic affected\u00a0the\u00a0morning commute, for example. Someone who is passed over for a promotion might rationalize the\u00a0disappointment by claiming to not have wanted so much responsibility after all.<\/p>\n

Rationalization can be adaptive in that it protects people from unsafe emotions and motivations, but it can also contribute to maladaptive behavior and psychological concerns. Rationalization can\u00a0become an obstacle in psychotherapy and can interfere with platonic and romantic relationships<\/a>.\u00a0An abusive<\/a> partner who justifies behavior based on\u00a0the abused partner’s failure to meet demands or\u00a0by claiming the partner was otherwise uncooperative\u00a0is engaging in pathological rationalization.<\/p>\n

Rationalizations for behaviors can seem like logical, clear explanations, but trained psychologists strive to recognize the difference between logically explaining one’s behavior and covering up underlying emotions<\/a> and motives.<\/p>\n

Rationalization as a Defense Mechanism<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sigmund Freud<\/a> described rationalization as a defense mechanism and the ego’s<\/a>\u00a0attempt to make a particular action acceptable to the superego<\/a>—the part of a person demanding moral behavior. He also explained some motives for behavior are too uncomfortable or painful for people to face. An adult might be afraid of the dark as a result of being\u00a0molested at night during childhood. That person\u00a0might rationalize the\u00a0fear by emphasizing that being unable to see one’s\u00a0surroundings is dangerous or by pointing out most burglaries occur at night. According to\u00a0Freud,\u00a0understanding the unconscious motivations for behavior is an important precursor to healing.\u00a0

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Although contemporary psychologists have discredited or abandoned much of Freudian psychology, rationalization is generally accepted as a common defense mechanism.<\/p>\n

Addressing Rationalization in Therapy<\/h2>\n

Contemporary mental health professionals may not use traditional Freudian methods\u00a0to understand rationalizations, but they do frequently work to help people in therapy access and understand the underlying motives for their feelings and behavior. A therapist who suspects rationalization of a person who may have experienced a\u00a0traumatic<\/a> or affecting event might encourage the person to confront the event honestly in order to address it in a healthy manner and begin the healing process.<\/p>\n

A person’s desire for esteem can lead to excessive rationalization, and it is important for a person to be mindful of rationalizations to avoid\u00a0ending up in a cycle of constant deception. Therapists can\u00a0help people\u00a0uncover their reasons for excessive rationalization or develop possible strategies to combat their emotional dishonesty. For example, a person who constantly rationalizes an\u00a0inability to keep appointments with friends might consider possible reasons for\u00a0not actually wanting to keep those appointments or see those friends.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. American Psychological Association. (2009).\u00a0APA concise dictionary of psychology<\/em>. Washington, DC:\u00a0American Psychological Association.<\/li>\n
  2. Fundukian, L. J., & Wilson, J. (2008).\u00a0The Gale encyclopedia of mental health<\/em>. Detroit, MI:\u00a0Thomson Gale.<\/li>\n
  3. Rationalization. (2004, October 24). Retrieved from http:\/\/changingminds.org\/explanations\/behaviors\/coping\/rationalization.htm.<\/li>\n
  4. Simon, G. (2009, March 16). Understanding Rationalization: Making Excuses as an Effective Manipulation Tactic. Retrieved from http:\/\/counsellingresource.com\/features\/2009\/02\/17\/rationalization-as-manipulation-tactic\/.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Rationalization is an attempt to logically justify immoral, deviant, or generally unacceptable behavior. In Freud\u2019s classic psychoanalytic theory, rationalization is a defense mechanism, an unconscious attempt to avoid addressing the underlying reasons for a behavior. Rationalizing an event may help individuals maintain self-respect or avoid\u00a0guilt over something they have done wrong. In many cases, rationalization […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2898,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"psychpedia.php","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-26710","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2898"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26710\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}