RATIONALIZATION: A HARMFUL SELF DEFENSE MECHANISM

RATIONALIZATION

DEFINITION

Rationalization is the act, unconsciously motivated, of giving reasonable but untrue excuse or expiation for our behavior.

CAUSES OF RATIONALIZATION

Rationalization is a defense mechanism identified by Freud. According to Freud when people are not able to deal with the reasons of their behavior or feelings in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for that behavior, in particular ways, they protect themselves by creating self-justifying explanations for the same. For example, if I flunk out of school because I didn't study properly it might be so hard for me to deal with that and I rationalize my behaviors by saying that I simply didn't have enough time to study because I have a full-time job, a baby at home, and so many other demands on my time. Or a student might blame a poor exam score on the instructor rather than his or her lack of preparation. The examples may be very many. Since the malady is common to all of us, especially to young boys and girls, I am very much concerned, and therefore this topic.

This attitude of rationalization does a great damage to your inner equipment (अंतःकरण) and thereby to your self-esteem. Please remember that you can justify your actions to every one around you but cannot deceive yourself. Your inner equipment (अंतःकरण) remains aware of and deeply concerned with the reasons of your failure. If you keep suppressing the same by rationalizing every failure, you create a wall between your inner-self and the overt mental layer. Thus, the outer self or the superficial and limited knowledge becomes alienated from the vast wisdom of अंतःकरण and as an obvious result you loose your self-esteem. I come across many girls and boys of promising capabilities but because of the damaged self-esteem they try to avoid facing the challenges of life. That is a very sorry state of affairs.

Ways to avoid Rationalization:-

1. First of all acknowledge your defeats, disappointments or failures honestly to yourself.
2. Secondly, after the first step, set about to correct whatever it was that caused your defeat, by getting information, thinking some on it, talking to some one who might help.
3. Then, concentrate for a while on something, you know, you can do well to help preserve your self-esteem.
4. Lastly, try something new and different, or try a new approach to the thing you have failed at.

Try the above methods in that order. These are the findings of a number of psychological researches. If you are honest with your self, and apply these corrective measures, I am sure you will be benefited.