#rationalization

• To self-justify — To find or manufacture for oneself excuses, rational motives, or moral pretexts in order to defend, legitimize, and exculpate one's own mistakes, questionable decisions, or inappropriate behaviors; to reduce cognitive dissonance by justifying one's actions before one's own conscience or society. In clinical psychology, the verb describes a defensive mechanism of rationalization whereby the individual refuses to accept direct guilt, sugarcoating reality to keep self-esteem intact.
• Self-justification — The act, process, or tendency to find or construct for oneself arguments, excuses, or rational motives aimed at legitimizing, defending, or exculpating one's own actions, errors, or controversial decisions. In cognitive psychology, it represents an unconscious defensive strategy used to reduce cognitive dissonance, allowing an individual to align questionable behaviors with their positive self-image and avoid feelings of guilt.