Abusive supervision undermines subordinate’s extra role behaviors such as voice. However, certain subordinates see positive motives in their supervisor’s abusive behaviors. Taking insights from the attribution-based theory of workplace harassment, we suggest that subordinates attribute leader’s abusive supervision to three motives: injury initiation, leader-centric performance promotion and follower-centric performance promotion. We contend that the more the follower attributes their leader’s abusive behavior to injury initiation and leader-centric performance promotion motives, the more likely they are to engage in defensive voice. Contrarily, we posit that the more the follower attributes their leader’s abusive behavior to follower-centric performance promotion motive, the less likely they are to engage in defensive voice. Pilot Study employs a one-time, single-source design to test the psychometric properties of the focal measures and construct validity of the follower-centric and leader-centric performance promotion motives. Main Study employs a multi-source, time separated design to test mediation and moderated-mediation hypotheses via structural equation modeling. Further, the theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.