Which cognitive dissonance reduction strategy is demonstrated when a counselor says, I couldn't care less about passing the NCE or licensing exam?

• A. Projection
• B. Repression
• C. Rationalization
• D. Denial

Answer: (D)

Denial as a cognitive dissonance reduction strategy involves refusing to acknowledge an uncomfortable reality. In this example, the counselor says they couldn’t care less about passing the NCE or licensing exam, which signals that the importance and consequences of the exam are being dismissed rather than confronted. By downplaying the threat to their professional status, they reduce the internal discomfort without addressing the underlying issue. It’s not projection, which would involve attributing one’s own unacceptable feelings to someone else; not repression, which would push the worry out of conscious awareness; and not rationalization, which would offer a justification to justify the behavior after the fact. The core idea is choosing to ignore or minimize the issue to ease tension.