Final answer:
Rationalization is a defense mechanism where individuals justify harmful or unacceptable behavior with acceptable reasons to avoid guilt. Examples include consuming sugary drinks despite health risks and denying the harmful effects of nicotine for self-interest. Various justifications, such as blaming external factors or appealing to higher authority, are used to rationalize behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept described in the student's question pertains to rationalization, which is a defense mechanism where an individual justifies or makes excuses for a behavior that they know is harmful or unacceptable. This is seen in the scenario where a person is aware of the detrimental health effects of soda yet finds reasons to continue purchasing it. Similarly, the scenario provided of Kaila, who refuses to accept her alcohol problem despite excessive daily drinking, is another example of rationalization. People engage in this behavior to protect themselves from feeling guilty about their actions, despite knowing the negative consequences such as dental caries, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease from consuming sugary drinks or the addictive and harmful nature of nicotine.
Companies and individuals may deny facts that are clear due to self-interest, as exemplified by Big Tobacco's historical denial of the addictive and harmful effects of nicotine. Some other examples include individuals blaming external factors such as abusive parents, a junk food diet, drugs, or too much violent television for their actions. Sometimes people even add new cognitions to justify their behavior, such as smoking to suppress appetite to avoid overweight, which they perceive as good for health. Another form of rationalization is to appeal to a higher authority, claiming that negative actions were taken for a higher purpose or greater good.