Stonewalling

[Tariq Zaki]

The delaying or obstruction of a request, process, or person by evasive behaviour.

[Vania]

present participle of stonewall

[Tina]

stalling or delaying especially by refusing to answer questions or cooperate

[DennisSt]

Stonewalling is a refusal to communicate or cooperate. Such behaviour occurs in situations such as marriage guidance counseling, diplomatic negotiations, politics and legal cases. Body language may indicate and reinforce this by avoiding contact and engagement with the other party. People use deflection in a conversation in order to render a conversation pointless and insignificant. Tactics in stonewalling include giving sparse, vague responses, refusing to answer questions, or responding to questions with additional questions. Stonewalling can be used as a stalling tactic rather than an avoidance tactic.