Rationalizing is the maladaptive thinking which people resort to when they try to maintain their self esteem and reduce cognitive dissonance.
A psychological struggle brought on by concurrently holding contradictory beliefs and attitudes is known as cognitive dissonance (as a fondness for smoking and a belief that it is harmful).
Cognitive dissonance can in the present lead to discomfort, tension, and anxiety. And the severity of these consequences frequently depends on the degree of divergence between the opposing views, how important those beliefs are to that individual, and how successfully that person manages self-contradiction.
Rationalizing is to make reasonable or in accordance with reason, especially to assign (one's conduct) to reasonable and honorable intentions without considering real, especially unconscious motives.
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