After any silly mistake or a big
blunder, mind starts to look for excuses, consciously or unconsciously. But
why? According to Louie Anderson, “I felt ashamed for what I had done. I don't
have any excuses. I did what I did. I take full responsibility for myself and
my actions. I wouldn't pawn this off on anybody. I'm sorry it happened. And I
hurt people.” And if one can add to this that I will not repeat it in life and
will try to help in healing the wounds, I don’t think that’s too much to ask
for. No, instead we make excuses, justifying our deeds, logically or illogically.
In psychology, this is called rationalization, a defense mechanism in which
perceived controversial behaviors or feelings are logically justified and
explained in a rational or logical manner in order to avoid any true
explanation, and are made consciously tolerable – or even admirable and
superior – by plausible means. This effect is may be to hide oneself from the
feeling of shame or guilt, which either way will be going to haunt. However in
contrast, there is Intellectualization, another defense mechanism where
reasoning is used to block confrontation with an unconscious conflict and its
associated emotional stress where thinking is used to avoid feeling. It
involves removing one's self, emotionally, from a stressful event.
Intellectualization may accompany, but is different from rationalization, the
pseudo-rational justification of irrational acts. Intellectualization and
rationalization together forms an extremely dangerous combination, which lies
in the hands of his master, but later makes his master its slave. Let’s talk in
terms of time, in the time we try to justify our actions, making excuses and
framing them, if we can move ahead and can amend the situation. That will be
better utilization of time. In exams, when we are unable to
perform well, excuses are made-time was less, examiner was shrewd, questions
were tough, but when we perform well, credit goes to us, we studied so we
performed. Isn’t it unfair !!
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