Here are some ways I've resisted, over the years, taking responsibility for my actions:
- Explaining
- Contextualising
- Justifying
- Excusing
- Changing the subject
- Infantilising myself
- Obfuscating
- Babbling
- Confounding with complexity
- Arousing pity
- Recruiting allies
- Weeping
- Shouting
- Looking really, really sad
- Evasiveness
- Sulking
- Going very quiet
- Running away
- Making loud noises with objects
- Rocking back and forth
- Rocking in a circular fashion
- Diverting attention
- Pointing the finger back
- 'Yeah, but what about ...?'
- 'Yeah, but you ...'
- Denying the action
- Denying the harm
- Minimising the harm
- Blaming childhood
- Blaming how I'm 'wired'
- Blaming my star sign
- Blaming my Myers–Briggs
- Blaming genetics
- Blaming the past
- Blaming my family of origin
- Blaming the programme
- Blaming the literature
- Blaming 'them'
- Blaming my sponsor
- Blaming anyone else
- Blaming trauma
- Blaming physical health issues
- Blaming a mental disorder
- Blaming a behavioural disorder
- Blaming a spectrum disorder
- Blaming the circumstances
- Blaming 'the day I've had'
- Blaming 'the week I've had'
- Blaming 'the year I've had'
- Blaming 'the life I've had'
- Saying, 'But isn't it normal to ...?'
- Saying, 'But isn't it natural to ...?'
- Saying, 'It's progress not perfection'
- Saying, 'I didn't intend to'
- Saying, 'He had it coming'
Nowadays, I've decided it's simpler to say:
"I did XYZ. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to set this straight?"