Denial is when we hide from ourselves, repress our
actions in our unconscious, pretend things didn’t
happen, or convince ourselves that consequences did
not result. Denial means we don’t see ourselves as we
really are. For example, Richard’s father may have
blocked out his actions and simply denied that he used a
razor strap on Richard. Or Richard may have blocked
out the fact that his quitting school was the start of his
downfall.
• Rationalization is where we allow our mind to construct
false explanations or minimize the consequences of our
actions. Using the same example, Richard’s father is
rationalizing when he acknowledges he used the strap to
beat Richard but maintains that Richard needed it and
the beating did him good. Richard rationalizes dropping
out of school by pretending he had to in order to work.
• Blame is when we try to shift responsibility to someone
else. We see our bad behavior as someone else’s fault.
When Richard blames his father for his own drug abuse
and prison time, he is trying to avoid personal
responsibility by blaming another person.