self-protective

Two hours come and go, and the self-protective defiance many of the girls had brought with them transforms into extraordinary honesty—heartache and fear laid bare.

American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010

Apparently, some readers need such "self-protective strategies" that "buy time, until the reader can sort out what is happening to her emotionally ...."

Saying Something 2010

Apparently, some readers need such "self-protective strategies" that "buy time, until the reader can sort out what is happening to her emotionally ...."

Self-Protection 2009

I have never engaged in a "self-protective strategy" in order to "buy time," especially not to "sort out" my emotions.

Self-Protection 2009

Poetry's declining status has made its embattled practitioners insular and self-protective: personal friendships have spawned cliques and coteries in book and magazine publishing, prize committees and grants organisations.

Poetry 2010

I have never engaged in a "self-protective strategy" in order to "buy time," especially not to "sort out" my emotions.

Saying Something 2010

And regarding the former, it may be brave souls like Susan Boyle, with her obvious self-protective armament on display as she exchanges banter with the three judges, who shatter the boundaries by their sheer will and their enormous gifts.

Archive 2009-04-01 2009

In an effort to be self-protective, many wounded people try to fool themselves and others, constructing elaborate facades that bear little resemblance to the truth.

Recovering From Religious Abuse Jack Watts 2011

In an effort to be self-protective, many wounded people try to fool themselves and others, constructing elaborate facades that bear little resemblance to the truth.

Recovering From Religious Abuse Jack Watts 2011

In an effort to be self-protective, many wounded people try to fool themselves and others, constructing elaborate facades that bear little resemblance to the truth.

Recovering From Religious Abuse Jack Watts 2011