Rationalize – What do you mean by that?
The dictionary meaning is: the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason. Another way to put it is a defence mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening. (Psychiatrics explanation)
Why do we rationalize in the first place?
When something happens that we find difficult to accept, we will come up a logical reason why it has happened. The target of rationalisation is usually something that we have done, such as being unkind to another person. It may also be used when something happens independently of us that causes us discomfort, such as when a friend is unkind to us.
We not only rationalize actions and the things we have done, we also find reason for our beliefs, models, values and other inner structures and thoughts. These systems are often implied in rationalization statements.
We rationalize to ourselves. We also find it very important to rationalize to other people, even those we do not know.
- A person evades paying taxes and then rationalizes it by talking about how the government wastes money (and how it is better for people to keep what they can).
- A man buys a expensive car and then tells people his old car was very unreliable, very unsafe, etc.
- A person fails to get good enough results to get into a chosen university and then says that they didn’t want to go there anyway.
- I trip and fall over in the street. I tell a passer-by that I have recently been ill.
- I’m this way because of my parents
- I am not running for “Saint.”
- I do some of my best parenting on the golf course.
- This will be a good experience for the kids
- I’m not doing as bad a job as my parents did
- Video games are really good for my kid’s mortar skills.
- After this party, I am going on a tough diet
- Look how long the French have lived eating cheese!
- A pint of wine helps reduce my cholesterol
- Skipping one day of dieting is not going to reduce the benefits of the course
- Ice cream is an excellent source of Calcium for women
- If God did not want us to eat chickens, he would not have created KFC
- This school is trying to kill my kid’s creativity
- My kids will get a lot out of government schooling
- My kid’s grades are bad this time since he was bored
- The teacher has no knowledge of algebra or calculus
- He is very good in oral tests but not so good on written ones.
- This is my last cigarette, will stop from tomorrow morning
- I’ll do a better job if I start it from tomorrow
- I will quit it tomorrow
- Jogging needs to be done early in the morning, it’s late now
- After going without sweets for 3 days in a row, I deserve one now
- I not sucking my boss just to stay in this job.
- My work is not all that high paying, but I like it
- Everybody cheats on their taxes
- Einstein had a messy desk
- I have been good with managing teams except this one
- Everybody lies about their salary, so why not I raise mine?
- My wife doesn’t understand me
- I think she needs time on her own now
- We will be happy in Switzerland or any onsite
- I’m not an attractive person; maybe that’s the reason
- These dishes will be easier to clean if they are soaked over night
- I can’t help it; it’s genetic
- I am not as fat as those people in the mall
- I’ve been big boned from birth
- European dress sizes are smaller
- I’m only a few kilograms extra for my height.
- I was a lot thinner in college, now home food is the culprit
