I've decided to give Dr. Therapy a new set of letters, "R-R-R" (the 3 R's.) This stands for "Reality," "Realization," and "Reaction." I think Cognitive Behavioral Therapy throws a "Rationalization" between the last two R's in order to allow one to brainwash oneself into the doctor's opinion of appropriate behavior.
Here is a hypothetical example: A woman gets beaten up by her husand. She realizes that this is a crime called spousal abuse. She calls the cops to haul her husbands's sorry @ss away.
I believe the above example is the proper application of the "3 R's."
In the brain-twisting world of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, the woman could rationalize that her husband didn't really mean to hurt her by his actions, since all his other behavior shows that he loves her. Blah, blah, yaddah, etc., etc. As a consequence, she continues the cycle of abuse when she does not call for help or drops the criminal charges later.
A therapist probably wouldn't recommend the rationalization in that example, but it's the general principle of the...
