What defense mechanism is a client using when blaming his wife for his alcohol dependence?

The client is demonstrating rationalization by blaming his wife for his alcohol dependence. Rationalization is a defense mechanism where an individual justifies their behaviors or feelings by attributing them to external factors instead of acknowledging their own role or responsibility. In this case, the client is attempting to excuse his alcohol dependence by placing the blame on his wife rather than confronting the underlying issues related to his addiction. This allows him to avoid dealing with personal accountability and enables him to maintain his substance use without feeling the weight of responsibility for that choice.

Other choices do not accurately capture the essence of how the client is deflecting responsibility. Denial would imply he is not acknowledging the problem at all, while displacement would refer to directing emotions toward a different object rather than blame. Reaction formation involves expressing the opposite of what one truly feels, often to appear socially acceptable, which does not fit the scenario of blaming someone else for personal issues.