For example, most of us think of ourselves as honest people, yet studies show that most of us often lie a little or cheat a little. In order to maintain our self-image as good people, we unconsciously invent rationalizations to convince ourselves that what we did was not wrong, not really harmful, not our fault, and so on.

Definition of rationalization. : the act, process, or result of rationalizing : a way of describing, interpreting, or explaining something (such as bad behavior) that makes it seem proper, more attractive, etc. They're masters of high-speed sophistry and self-serving rationalizations, and they threaten one another as if the power of threats lies mainly in how elegantly expressed they are ….

For example, someone may buy a luxury item they can’t afford and rationalize it by saying, “I know I can’t afford this, but I never buy myself anything nice and this is something I really want."

For example, rationalizing alcohol abuse can prevent someone from experiencing feelings of guilt or remorse after drinking too much, which may otherwise trigger an attempt at self-reform. Rationalization can also have negative effects on an individual's relationships with others.

Rationalization is one of the most common defense mechanisms, especially among people who struggle with anxiety and depression. For example: When you’re anxious because someone criticized your appearance at work but then tell yourself things like, “She probably had some bad day herself” or “It was just my imagination running wild.”

Rationalization Examples. In one of his most famous fables ‘The Fox and the Grapes’, Aesop tells us the story of a fox who, on a scorching summer afternoon, tries to pluck grapes to satiate his hunger and thirst. After several attempts, when he fails to reach the grapes, he simply says, “those grapes were probably sour anyway”, and walks away.

Oct 04, 2017 · For example, an optional valet service at a hotel that doesn't generate profits directly but may attract customers. Risk The risks associated with a product or service such as reputational or legal risk .

Surds are irrational numbers that cannot be further simplified in their radical form. For example, an irrational number √8 can be simplified further as 2√2, whereas √2 cannot be simplified any further. Thus √2 is a surd. Examples of a monomial radical: √6, 3√2, \(\sqrt[3]{2}\) Examples of a binomial radical: √3 + √6, 1 - √2