• Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Tahlia Newland

Editor, Author & Artist

  • Editing Services
  • About Me
    • Creative Arts
    • Performance Art
  • My Books
    • Psychemagination
    • Metaphysical Fiction
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Classic Defensive Maneuver – do you do it?

September 11, 2015 by Tahlia Newland

defensive cat2

The classic defensive maneuver is classic because it’s an automatic reaction many, if not most, people have when their work is criticised. It’s only those who have more self-awareness than usual or who have discovered that reacting this way does no good at all, and, in fact, often causes us to act in ways that when seen with hindsight are downright embarrassing, or, at the least, make us appear rather immature and inexperienced.

The classic defensive maneuver seems absolutely right to the person offended by the opinion that causes the reaction.  When in the grip of it, the sufferer sees nothing other than their own perspective, a perspective created by one single aim: to prove that one’s work is not as the critic says it is. When in the grip of the classic defensive manoeuvre we must, at all costs, retain our sense that the art work we have laboured over is perfect. If others criticise it, it’s because they don’t understand, not that we’ve failed to create something people can understand.

So what is this classic defensive maneuver ? It’s finding fault with the critic to preserve our ego. If we want to convince ourselves and others that the criticism is mistaken, we will denigrate the giver of the feedback, reducing them, in our eyes, to a complete idiot who simply does not understand our great work of art. The critic’s qualifications, their background and experience that makes them a valuable critic will be ignored, just as whatever makes someone a poor critic will be ignored if we like the feedback we get. The person in the grip of the classic defensive maneuver simply refuses to see any value in the criticism at all.

This maneuver makes the person feel much better—that’s why we do it. It allows them to hold onto their opinion of the perfection of their work. It defends their ego, the part of us that clings to our idea of who we are, an idea that can be quite different to who we really are, and how we appear to others. What it doesn’t do is allow them to grow, to improve, to revise a work or to do better next time.

It’s easy to fall into the classic defensive maneuver . It’s a knee jerk reaction that can be on us before we recognise it, but it is ultimately damaging, and for anyone watching, it is simply sour grapes. One thing that all artists must learn as soon as possible it to take criticism without becoming defensive or abusive.  Swear at your critics all you like in private, but do it in public and, at best, you’ll look like an amateur.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: How to handle criticism Tagged With: dealing with criticism, defensive attitude

« A different kind of fantasy: Review of The Dog of Pel by Mary Holland
Stunning book on the Christian homosexuality conflict: Review of ‘By That Sin Fell the Angels’ by Jamie Fessenden »

Comments

  1. Charles Ray says

    September 11, 2015 at 8:54 am

    We’re all tempted to do it. A sure sign of maturity is when we resist the temptation.

    • Tahlia Newland says

      September 11, 2015 at 12:13 pm

      So true. Ego is wired that way. I find I can feel it rising, then I take a deep breath and let it go. Awareness is the first step.

Search

Recent Posts

  • The Crucial Role of the Inciting Incident in Story Development: Setting the Stage for Success
  • The Art of Self-Editing: An Essential Guide for Novel Writers
  • From Pages to Pixels: A New Kind of Book Illustrated with Animated AI Art
  • Writing the Perfect First Paragraph of a Novel
  • The Ultimate Guide to Worldbuilding in Fiction Writing

View Posts by Category

Writing a novel? Feeling overwhelmed? Get new insight and inspiration with my FREE Novel Revision Checklist. 

DOWNLOAD  NOW

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Free Book Download  
Get Lethal Inheritance free when you sign up to my new release email list.  I won’t share your details and you can unsubscribe at any time.

My Latest Books

  • Fallout: Recovering from Abuse in Tibetan Buddhism
  • The Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine
  • The Locksmith's Secret
    Rated 5.00 out of 5

Alliance of Independent Authors

Alliance of Independent Authors

All my books are

Seven of my novels have an Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence

Four of my books earned BRAG Medallions

I abide by the ethical author code

I'm an Ethical Author
Alliance of Independent Authors

Copyright

All material on this website is under copyright to Tahlia Newland and cannot be shared without written permission.

  • Editing Services
  • About Me
  • My Books
  • Creative Arts
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · Amoré Theme by Oh, Hello Designs on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

FREE Novel Revision Checklist

Written a book? Need some help reviewing and revising it? Download my Novel Revision Checklist for step by step guidance.  

DOWNLOAD NOW

no thanks

{"cookieName":"wBounce","isAggressive":false,"isSitewide":true,"hesitation":"120","openAnimation":false,"exitAnimation":false,"timer":"","sensitivity":"","cookieExpire":"7","cookieDomain":"","autoFire":"","isAnalyticsEnabled":false}
 

Loading Comments...