Erica is unconsciously fearful she did not get accepted into the college of her dreams. recently when asked, she refused to say she wanted to go there because, she said, "i would much rather stay closer to home and go to the community college." erica's comment best illustrates:

The right answer is the rationalization. This is a defense mechanism in which the person rationally justifies his own actions in such a way as to avoid censorship. In this defense mechanism, the logical explanation is given to the feelings, thoughts and behaviors that, if not censored, would cause emotional discomfort such as anxiety or guilt. In this case, Erica rationalized the fact of going to the community university and hid her desire to go to another university.

I hope my answer can help you.