Excuse-making is a characteristic feature of human nature, and it influences the decisions made by individuals, relations within an organization, and social life. There are justifications that people will use to defend the behavior that might entail showing up late during a meeting, not meeting deadlines and dodging responsibilities. Excuses in most cases reveal the psychological processes although they may be harmless in certain situations. The causes of excuses give one a good explanation on what the human being is all about, motivation and decision making.

The purpose of Self-Preservation

One of the key reasons why people excuse is self-preservation. Human beings possess the instinct of protecting their self- esteem and status in the society. It is the excuses that can be called the defense mechanism that allows one to present him/herself in a favorable manner even when an error or failure has occurred.

To give an example, a student with poor results in an exam may blame the poor nature of the test but not accept the fact that he or she was unprepared. In so doing, the student would ensure self-confidence and downplay personal inadequacy. This is the defense mechanism of excuses that is directly associated with psychological theories of self-concept and ego defense.

Excuses as a Social Tool

Excuses may also be considered as a social tool and may help individuals to cope with interactions and avoid conflict. By way of explanations, people get an opportunity to dilute the impact of any undesirable occurrence, maintain the social tranquility and reduce the risk of being punished or criticised.

At workplaces, e.g. in case a project is not functioning, the employees may invoke external justifications, e.g. lack of resources or any unexpected circumstance. Such reasons can support trust and credibility and prevent blame. Excuses are also a social way of social cohesion as far as social psychology is concerned as well as seeking a way of coping with intricate interpersonal relationships.

Prejudices and Justification of Thinking

Cognitive bias tends to influence an excuse-making process and responsibility interpretation and events perception. One such bias is the self-serving bias in which individuals would attribute a success and failure respectively as an internal and external problem.

In an example, a salesperson will be able to tell that the high sales are attributed to his personal strength and low sales are attributed to the market conditions or the quality of clients. This mental bias allows an individual to look after his/her image, not to lose motivation even in the case of his/her failure. These biases come in handy when explaining the prevalence and serving as a permanent in different environments when it comes to the excuses.

Eschewal of Responsibility

In most cases accountability is avoided through excuse making. The ability to take the blame of the wrongs could be embarrassing and uncomfortable in the situations when there is a lot at stake. The excuses also offer a psychological buffer and it makes the individual less stressed and offers a temporary relieve of guilt or shame.

Even though this method may provide some form of relief in the short run, it may also establish a setback in the growth of an individual when applied in excess. Given that such individuals are always blamers, they will not easily learn mistakes, have negative behaviour repeated and poor relations in the workplace or in personal lives.

Apologizing in Assorted Conditions

The excuses are employed in one form or the other depending on the circumstances:

Workplace: Workforce may provide explanations as to why they did not achieve deadlines or perform poorly such as workload, technology or lack of direction.

• Education: Pupils can mention the teachers, examinations, or other environmental problems as a reason of poor learning.

• Personal Relationships: The individuals will make excuses to avoid confronting any situation, embarrassing situation or embarrassing duty.

• Health and Fitness: People tend to be bad due to reasons that are not related to bad habits in the excuse of stress, time shortage or outside obligations.

The realization of the predicament of excuse-making can be valuable in determining the behavioral patterns and establish some mechanisms to encourage accountability and change.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Excuses

The excuses are generally regarded in negative light, however, they can be adaptable. They allow controlling stress, social concord and self-esteem. One such case is that justifiable excuse of a delay or a mistake can assist in preventing unreasonable confrontation and misunderstanding.

Nevertheless, there are some negative consequences of overexcusing. It can ruin trust, credibility and bar personal and professional development. Individuals that continuously practice the habit of making excuses never develop resilience, probabilities of solving problems and self-discipline that are required to achieve success in the long run.

Lessening of Excuse-Making Strategies

An idea of how to minimize them will be provided in the psychology of excuses:

Further reflection: Reflection on self and responsibility can enable one to reduce automatic excuses.

• Foster accountability: There are expectations set in either a work or learning environment resulting in the ownership of activities.

• Solutions as solutions, not blame: When one focuses his or her attention on the solutions, rather than justification, it is more probable that he or she will participate in proactive behaviour.

• Develop coping mechanisms: The ability to handle stress and disappointments in a positive manner will reduce the defensive excuses.

By these means, individuals and organizations will be able to become a culture of responsibility, learning and growth.

Conclusion

The act of excuse-making is a habitual process as a human phenomenon which is affected by self-preservation, social interaction, distortion of thinking and necessity to be off the hook. Even though excuses may be adaptive, their regular use may stifle self-development and professionalism. The psychological understanding of excuse-making can be highly edible in assisting to improve individual awareness, become more responsible, and become a more competent communicator. By knowing and practicing on the causes of excuses, one can learn to convert defensive behaviors to growth, learning and even better relationships, both personal and organizational.