In one of Aesop’s fables, a fox is attracted by lovely bunches of grapes hanging from a tree. It makes several jumps to reach them but they are hanging high beyond its reach. Upon failing to reach the grapes, the fox consoles itself with the thought that they are sour.
How can we interpret the story in psychological terms?
1. It is a story for entertaining children and has no hidden psychological insights.
2. When we are unable to attain an object of our desire, we should take comfort in the thought that its achievement would have made no great difference to us.
3. One should not unrealistically pursue unattainable goals.
4. The fox’s reaction is a form of rationalization.
The first answer choice is incorrect. The story contains an important insight. It points ironically that when we fail to reach a desired goal, we often depreciate its worth. Thus an individual who fails in his efforts to acquire wealth may end up with the view that the advantages of wealth are highly exaggerated.
The second option is also wrong. It suggests that we shouldrationalizeour failures in some way.
It may enable us to reconcile to failure but in a manner which is intellectually dishonest.
The third answer choice is prudent advice to reduce chances of frustration. But in life we should not give up any worthwhile goal because the attempt to attain it may carry risk of failure. Success and failure have to be taken in one’s stride. Otherwise, we will be unable to attempt anything.
Thefourthanswer choiceiscorrect.The fox naturallyfeelsfrustrated.To getoverthisfrustration, it makes an unfounded conjecture that the grapes are sour. It is taking comfort from an illusory idea. In this way, it feels that it has not lost anything and that there is no cause for regret. It derives psychological solace from this process of rationalizing. The term “rationalizing” despite its verbal similarity to ‘rational’ (which means based on reason) has an opposite meaning. Rationalizing means that we are giving a false explanation to an event, an explanation which satisfies our need for emotional comfort but ignores facts. As it ignores reality, rationalizing is an unhealthy trend.