A student who is embarrassed about tripping in the hallway loudly jokes, "I totally meant to do that!" What defense mechanism is this? Repression Projection Rationalization Denial

## Step 1<br />The problem presents a situation where a student is embarrassed about tripping in the hallway and then jokes, "I totally meant to do that!". This is a classic example of a defense mechanism, which is a psychological strategy used by individuals to cope with reality and maintain self-image.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The defense mechanism in this case is rationalization. Rationalization is a defense mechanism where an individual tries to justify their actions or feelings with logical, plausible reasons, even if these reasons are not the true reasons.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />In this case, the student is trying to justify his action of tripping by saying he meant to do it. This is a clear example of rationalization, as he is trying to make his action seem less embarrassing by attributing it to a logical reason.