Question

Mark drew pictures on the wall with crayons, which made his father furious. To teach him a lesson, his father gave him a severe beating, which left several bruises all over the boy’s body. A neighbor heard this and said, ‘quit abusing that boy,’ to which the father justified his behaviors by responding, ‘I am not abusing him, I am teaching him discipline because he will be spoiled if we let his behaviors go.’ Which defense mechanism is the father using?

Answer 1

Answer: Rationalization

Step-by-step explanation:

Rationalization is a kind of defense mechanism that explains and makes excuses for questionable actions or beliefs in an apparently rational way. This is a way to evade the real reasons behind specific actions, making them consciously bearable, and even admirable.

But it´s an informal fallacy of reasoning that encourages unacceptable behavior.