The need to defend oneself is thought a sign of weakness.
The baggage in that conception is the fear of vulnerability.

I propose an alternative conception:
Defending oneself is usually a terrible tragedy. The need to defend oneself should be thought of as a flaw not because it signifies a gap in one's defenses, but because it can make one a dangerous animal.
In other words, this may be a fatal flaw--fatal, that is, to others.

Put in one more way: I would locate the flaw not in the need (not in the vulnerability, the hole), but in the defense (the urge to fill the hole).