Rohan did not do well in his Pre-Board examination. He believes that this happened because he was not carrying his lucky pen that day. Identify the defence mechanism being used by Rohan.

Rationalisation

Rationalisation is a defense mechanism in which people justify or explain away their own behavior or the negative events that happen to them in a way that makes them feel better about themselves or the situation. In this case, Rohan is using rationalization to explain away his poor performance on the Pre-Board examination. He is attributing his failure to the fact that he was not carrying his lucky pen, rather than to his own lack of preparation or other factors. This allows him to avoid the uncomfortable feeling of self-blame and to maintain a positive self-image.