It’s as if we’re saying, “I’m going to beat you to the punch and criticize myself before you can. I recognize how flawed and imperfect I am so you don’t have to cut me down and tell me what I already know. Hopefully you will then have sympathy for me instead of judging me and assure me that I’m not as bad as I think I am.” This defensive posture stems from the natural desire not to be rejected and abandoned and makes sense in terms of our most basic survival instincts.
