A young man explained that he did poorly on his exam because his eyes hurt the test was unfair, and he did not feel the subject was important anyway. The young man is using what type of defense mechanism?

Correct answer: A. rationalization

  • A. rationalization
  • B. fantasy
  • C. projection
  • D. displacement

Explanation

Rationalization is creating plausible excuses to protect oneself from the uncomfortable truth of failure, as in blaming sore eyes, an unfair test, or an unimportant subject. Projection would instead involve attributing one's own unacceptable feelings to someone else.

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