Carla believed that her teammates on the track team were faster than she was, so she began putting in extra practices in order to become just as fast as them. This is an example of __________.

Compensation means responding to a perceived weakness or shortcoming by working harder in that area or another area. Carla thinks she is slower than her teammates, so she practices extra to improve her speed. This is compensation, not rationalization, which involves making excuses to justify behavior.

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