Final answer:
The term that describes concealing one's true motivations with self-serving but incorrect explanations is A) Rationalization. It is a psychological defense mechanism used to deal with cognitive dissonance and anxiety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The answer to the question is A) Rationalization. Rationalization is a defense mechanism where a person conceals the true motivations for their actions, thoughts, or feelings by providing self-serving but incorrect explanations that seem reasonable. For example, someone might say they work long hours because they are indispensable, when the true motivation is the avoidance of problems at home. This differs from other defense mechanisms like repression, where distressing thoughts are pushed out of conscious awareness, or sublimation, where unacceptable impulses are transformed into socially acceptable actions. This defense mechanism involves justifying behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less-acceptable real reasons.