6: Rationalization

Intellectualization and rationalization are easily confused, as they refer to the same process (using logic to deny or distract from emotions) but are used for different purposes: intellectualization is used to justify future actions an individual intends to take, whereas rationalization is applied to past actions that have already been taken or present situations over which an individual has no direct influence.

We rationalize the motives of others: a man spurned by a woman deceives himself into thinking she rejected him because of an ethnic prejudice, rather than accepting that she merely found him unattractive and boorish.

The author refers to "sour grapes"" as other forms of rationalization in which the inability to obtain something that is desired is denied or mitigated by deceiving oneself to regard it as having been undesirable. "Making lemons out of lemonade" is similar, though it is an attempt to feel empowered rather than victimized by something unfortunate.

False prophets often thrive on rationalization: when their original prediction of the end of the world on a given date comes to pass, they refuse to admit their error because it would undermine their beliefs, and blame it on a misinterpretation or miscalculation of the prophecy.

Rationalization is often seen in literature, whether for comic or tragic effect. Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes is the origin of the "sour grapes" allusion. The villain of many stories is often an individual who rationalizes his behavior in arrears (as well as intellectualizing it in advance).