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Rationalization The tendency to defend a preferred conclusion or claim – judged acceptable or desirable – or a cherished belief via a (usually unconscious) biased analysis or distorted view of the evidence purportedly supporting the conclusion or belief, in an effort to have this belief or claim accepted by the recipient of one’s “rationalizing” – which may be oneself or others. Also, the giving of ostensibly good reasons to justify a belief which one actually holds on other, less respectable, grounds; an act or process in which doubtful or false, but reassuring or self-serving, justifications are contrived and advanced to explain one's attitudes and self-interested behaviour, in an attempt to make that behaviour appear reasonable, sensible, and logical while concealing the true – especially unconscious – motivations, thereby providing plausible reasons for the conduct.
Any outcome resulting from either of these activities.
For example:
On finding out that they have not been invited to a party they had been looking forward to attending the snubbed person ‘puts on a brave face’ and responds “Well I don’t like going to parties that much anyway” or “That plonker John Hope is going to be the guest of honour, so I’m really very glad I didn’t get lumbered with an invite!”
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Upon the disclosure, during the mid-nineteen seventies, that a well-known ‘psychic’ from Israel was clearly captured on videotape cheating, the retort from many supporters was that the ‘miracle-worker’ only resorted to cheating on those (isolated?) occasions when his ‘powers’ temporarily deserted him, so as not to disappoint his adoring audience! – –
”Why do I fiddle my taxes? I’m insulted by the question. But if I were to admit to tax avoidance I’d say it’s because the government wastes so much of the revenues it collects – if everyone did what I do maybe the government would become more responsible with the way it handles the People’s money, and the country would be better for it!”
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Members of a ‘Doomsday cult’ respond to their ‘prophet’s’ seemingly-unfulfilled prophesy about the commencement of “The Rapture” by saying that because of their good work spreading The Word ‘He’ has allowed a little more time for the faithful to reach more of the fallen before the Reign of the Righteous begins!
(see also: Post hoc reasoning, self-deception, special pleading, wishful thinking, believers, Selective exposure, cf. rational)
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