Rationalization (Psychology)

In the Bible in verses Genesis 3:12-13, Adam blamed the eating of the forbidden fruit on Eve. And Eve blamed the snake.

Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, 1728, Mexico.

Rationalization "is a defense mechanism that involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior."

"While rationalization serves as a protective shield for the individual's ego, it can pose significant challenges in the therapeutic process. The primary issue lies in its ability to create a distorted reality, hindering the client from gaining true insight into their emotions, behaviors, and underlying issues." The abstract for the medical journal article Rationalization and self-sabotage indicates: "Rationalization exposes a person to the hazard of delusion and self-sabotage. In paradigm cases, rationalization undermines instrumental rationality by introducing inaccuracies into the representational map required for planning and effective agency."

The negative aspects of rationalization include:

• Distorted perception of reality. When individuals develop the bad habit of rationalizing their poor/unethical/harmful/irrational actions, they may start to believe their self-serving explanations even if they are untrue or not completely accurate.

• Perpetuation of irresponsibility. By avoiding full responsibility/accountability for bad, poor or suboptimal actions due to justifying actions and blaming it on circumstances and/or others, individuals may avoid taking responsibility for their choices and the consequences that result.

• Stagnating/hindering personal development and/or professional development by avoiding self-reflection, self-awareness and responsibility

• Harming personal relationships due to blame shifting creates mistrust and conflict and less social influence. See: Social influence and Social network and Social intelligence

• Perpetuating harmful/unhealthy behaviors via justifying excuses. For example, rationalizers perpetuating procrastination or addictive behaviors.

• Preventing/decreasing learning from mistakes/experiences. Rationalization begins with a conclusion and then attempts to explain things way. This stunts one's problem solving ability and develops a bad habit of not looking for the causes and effects of things. It also stunts other skill development as the possibility that one has to develop various skills to better accomplish objectives is precluded as an explanation. In addition, it stunts character development as various character flaws are not admitted to plus one is not taking responsibility for one's actions. See: Growth mindset and Skill and Deliberate practice and Virtue

• Creating a barrier to emotional intelligence/maturity/healing

Journal articles and academic literature on rationalization

• Rationalization and self-sabotage by Jason D'Cruz. Behavorial Brain Science. 2020 Apr 15:43:e32. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X19002231.
• Moral Rationalization Contributes More Strongly to Escalation of Unethical Behavior Among Low Moral Identifiers Than Among High Moral Identifiers, Frontiers in Psychology, 07 January 2020. Sec. Personality and Social Psychology. Volume 10 - 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02912
• Rationalization, enchantment, and subjectivation – lessons for risk communication from a New Phenomenology of everyday reasoning, Journal of Risk Research, Volume 27, 2024 - Issue 2.
• The social function of rationalization: An identity perspective, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 43, April 2020. DOI:10.1017/S0140525X19002097
• Rationalization: Why, when, and what for?, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Volume 43, 2020, e45DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X19002255, Cambridge University Press. Brief summary at: Rationalization: Why, when, and what for?, Cambridge University Press
• Rationalization is rational by Fiery Cushman, Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2019
• The neural basis of rationalization: cognitive dissonance reduction during decision-making, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2010 Jul 12;6(4):460–467. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsq054

Quote

See also: Self-deception

• “The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.” - Sophocles

• "Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love." - Fyodor Dostoevsky

See also

My dog at my homework is a common adage related to excusitis among students on why they supposedly can't hand in their homework when it is due to be completed.

• Self-awareness
• Self-deception
• Excusitis
• Limiting beliefs
• Self-sabotage
• Irrational thinking
• Negative thinking
• Growth mindset
• Decision making
• Escapism
• Intellectual curiosity
• Intellectual humility

External links

• Using Rationalization as a Defense Mechanism, VeryWellMind.com
• Rationalization: A Closer Look at the Defense Mechanism in Various Settings, Palo Alto University
• Self-Deception I: Rationalization by Neel Burton M.D.

Videos:

• Rationalization - video playlist, video playlist