Blame Aversion

Blame aversion is the attachment to the perception that one's self is free from blame.

The chief characteristic of blame aversion is to focus not on the problem that is being pointed out, but on the fact that it is oneself that is being blamed for it.

It manifests when a critique is laid out regarding someone's actions or third-party actions that benefitted them, and they focus their response not on whether those actions were in fact problematic or how they can be rectified, but instead on how it is not fair for them personally to be blamed, how blame and guilt are not positive things, how serious the accusation is, among other statements that deflect the argument while not truly rejecting its claim, which implictly ends up acknowledging it.