Shobhita did not get admission in the college of her choice. She told…

The correct answer is Option (1) → Rationalisation

Option (1) Rationalisation — Correct. In rationalisation, a person tries to make unreasonable feelings or behaviour seem reasonable and acceptable, as when a student who did poorly buys new pens and says, “I will do much better with these pens”. Shobhita does not deny that she failed to get admission; she gives a reason that makes the failure easier to accept: she never wanted to go there.

Option (2) Denial — Incorrect. In denial, a person totally refuses to accept reality, as someone with HIV/AIDS may deny the illness altogether. Shobhita accepts that she did not get admission.

Option (3) Repression — Incorrect. In repression, anxiety-provoking thoughts are totally dismissed by the unconscious, and the person becomes unaware of the wish. Shobhita is aware of what happened and talks about it.

Option (4) All of the above — Incorrect. Since denial and repression do not fit her reaction, all three cannot be the answer.

Note: The official NTA Answer Key accepted both Option (1) and Option (4) as correct. At first sight, Shobhita’s words that she never wanted to go there may look like a denial, and NTA has probably taken her reaction as a mix of all three defence mechanisms. As per the book, however, in denial a person totally refuses to accept reality, while Shobhita accepts that she did not get admission; and in repression a person becomes totally unaware of the wish, while Shobhita is aware of what happened and talks about it. What she does is give a false but acceptable reason that makes the failure easier to bear, which is rationalisation. So NTA seems to have gone wrong in accepting Option (4): only Option (1) is supported by the textbook.