The term rationalize refers to any situations in which a person's action is described with reference to some supporting reason or cause. The term legitimate refers to one criterion by which rationalizations are selected from the many possible explanations for action. Justifications or rationalizations are selected primarily when they are acceptable explanations in a given social context. This means they fit with the facts as known according to the rules of behavior generally followed.

p. 231 - A social information processing approach to job attitudes and task design. 1978