Denial, Rationalization, and Projection

This is episode 5 in the series The Psychology of It All. A defense mechanism is an unconscious psychological reaction to reduce mental anguish arising from an unacceptable stressor. Denial is characterized by unconsciously blocking out events or stressors from conscious awareness in order to reduce mental stress and anguish. Rationalization is a person’s self-justifying explanation of an alternate and more tolerable reality that will often downplay the severity of objectively verifiable reality. Projection is when a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts, behaviors, feelings, or motives to another person.