Defense Mechanisms

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Comment by Roger Buck on February 16, 2009 at 12:10am

It's hard to believe that "rationalization" is actually a defense mechanism, as making "lemons to lemon aid" is often the best way to handle situations in which suffering is involved. If one can help another to to perceive their pain in a positive way, I wouldn't call it "rationalization" as that suggests that they are deluded in some sense into believing that suffering can't be useful. It can...and thus, rationalization is no longer a defense mechanism, but rather the best way to deal with a potentially destructive problem in a positive way.