# The Four Horsemen: Defensiveness Source URL:: https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-four-horsemen-defensiveness/ One of the Four Horsemen, Defensiveness, is righteous indignation or innocent victimhood in an attempt to ward off a perceived attack. ## Highlights > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Thu Feb 15 2024 16:14:01 GMT-0500%% > > Complaint: “Did you call your parents to let them know that we’re not coming tonight as you promised this morning?” >Antidote: “Oops, I forgot. I should have asked you this morning to do it because I knew my day would be too busy. Let me call them right now.”