Rational and Irrational Beliefs

In Torah this is called ערמומיות היצר, פיתויי היצר etc.

See https://www.smartrecovery.org/smart-articles/rational-and-irrational-beliefs/.

Examples from Ozer Bigevurah

[Section 1 Ch. 4 - Step Four: Create an Action Plan]

[...] When a nisayon comes, the yetzer hora presents all kinds of rationalizations to justify why the action is okay. [...] Even if a person is aware that he is using a rationalization to excuse his actions, he nonetheless chooses to believe it for the time being, in order to make life comfortable for the moment. A bachur should therefore be ready to respond swiftly to a challenging situation without having to fumble for even a second, because if he is caught by surprise, he may not be able to respond correctly to the situation at hand. One should reflect on what his challenges and rationalizations are and create a clear, succinct response to combat them. When applicable, the response should include a physical reaction on the part of the bachur, such as moving to a different location.

A list of sample rationalizations and responses that consist an action plan

Each person should write down his own set of responses to address his specific rationalizations; this list is brought merely for illustrative purposes.

I’m dealing with too many problems, and I have so much stress in my life. I need an outlet. Hashem can’t have ta’anos on me!

Response: Be honest with yourself! You’re doing this because you want to, not because you feel you’re entitled to do it or because of stress. You are responsible for your own actions.

I’ve done this so many times; one more time can’t make such a big difference! or I am not addicted, and I am planning to stop, but not yet. After this time I’ll stop.

Response: This line of reasoning will always be present. If you give in to this excuse now, then your behavior will never stop, because there’s always “just one more time”. You’ll keep on saying, “One more time; one more time!” And besides, how many times have you said this in the past, yet you still did not stop! If you plan on stopping anyway, then let it be now.

This habit is just too deeply ingrained; I’ll never be able to completely quit. And when I eventually do slip up, then all my efforts will be worthless, so why should I even bother putting up a fight?

Response: Your goal is not to conquer a life-long yetzer hora in one day! Simply putting up a fight is a tremendous accomplishment, and skipping this time, or even delaying it a little bit, is still worthwhile. Even if you ultimately do it, there is still value and tremendous sechar for every second you are able to be omeid b’nisayon. This response can be explained with the following mashal:

There was once a king who placed his daughter at the summit of a large mountain and proposed the following challenge to the inhabitants of his land: I will offer my daughter’s hand in marriage to whomever is able to climb the mountain and reach the top.” Many professional hikers attempted the climb, but they were all unsuccessful. Then along came an old man who could barely see, but decided nonetheless to try. He slowly made his way up, and after many weeks of arduous travel, he eventually made it to the summit, where he received the grand prize-- the princess! When the old man was asked how he was able to reach the summit after so many other hikers had failed, he answered simply, “What do you mean? It wasn’t such a tall mountain! All I saw was a few feet in front of me, so I walked those few feet-- and then another few feet, until I reached the top.” The nimshal is obvious: Take one day at a time! Your goal right now is not to stop for life; it’s to push it off as much as you can.

I’ll just look or think a little bit, but I won’t allow things to get too out of hand.

response: Don’t you remember how many times in the past you told yourself that, and it didn’t work? It’s not worth taking the chance again! It is written in many sefarim that the main bechirah is not to put oneself in a situation of a nisayon. After one experiences the temptation, the situation begins to spiral out of control and becomes virtually impossible to stop.

I haven’t done it for a week or more, so if I do it now, I’m not so bad.

response: Why are you rewarding yourself with something that will undo what you’ve accomplished?! Bear in mind that the longer you’re able to stay clean, the easier it will get. But if you take a step back after being good for a while, then you will have to start all over again. So find another reward for yourself, one that will build you and help you become better.

What I am doing is not so bad. I know others who do this or even worse, and I myself have done much worse in the past.

response: Doing something small leads to worse things. Anyone who has fallen into major problems began with something small, thinking that he would be able to control it and not go past a certain point. If you were to ask him, “How far from that point are you now?”, the person will invariably respond, “Things have changed a lot since I started to slip up. Now I am in a place where I never thought I would be.”