A person sitting next to you in class gets a low grade on this exam.When you discuss the exam results, the person blames their performance on the difficulty of the material, their lack of belief in psychoanalytic theory, lack of the necessity to have this knowledge in the future, belief that the material is irrelevant, etc.This student may be using the Freudian defense mechanism of _____ to explain his or her poor behavior.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The student is rationalizing their poor performance by attributing it to external factors such as the difficulty of the material or the belief that the material is irrelevant. Rationalization is a Freudian defense mechanism in which a person justifies their behavior or feelings by providing acceptable reasons or explanations for them.

A Person Sitting Next to You in Class Gets a Low