Do You Know a Narcissistic Conversation Hog?

[AK-Cathy]

There is no defense or excuse for conversation monopolizers but some of the social graces error examples in this thread can be seen in the light of people wanting to simply relate and having no context other than their limited experience, try and come up looking foolish.

I think there are plenty of me, me, me people as described in this thread but I also think there are plenty of lonely people that long to join in and having less than stellar guidance or natural skill, they make mistakes, sometimes comical other times off putting. I imagine women of a certain age, having not worked outside the home or if so at a menial boring job, have little interesting to offer in a conversation with more worldly people at a social occasion. I expect that these women unless highly aware socially may make mistakes in conversation. True of people of any age or sex with people who's experience or advantages are greater than their own. It is the very rare bird that can relate well outside of their experience. The options for these folks are to sit like a stump, offer continual congratulations or commiseration or make mistakes in attempts to relate even a portion of their lives. Not great choices folks.

I'm calling for knowing the difference between the truly self centered and the sadly clueless people that might be operating out of their depth. Not that anyone has to socialize with either but the level of antipathy should be quite different depending on which type of person one is dealing with. My 2 cents worth.

[ellenrr]

Boy, I thot I was the only one this happened to!!

Yesterday I drove a woman (who pays me a little $ to drive her places)

I HATE being with her -
altho she is a kind, interesting person (in her '80's), she never shuts up.
I can't interrupt her cuz if I do, she'll just keep talking,
and sometimes I keep talking - to see if I can outlast her in the "both people talk at same time" category, but I can't.

And if I wait (a long time) for her to end a topic, and there is 5 seconds of silence, I'll try to enter the conversation with a comment of my own.
Nope - as soon as I open my mouth, she starts going again.
lol.
it's kinda like she's taking a momentary rest - or - she wants the fun of declaring herself over anything I might say.

I think I am probably going to stop driving her, as it is not worth the money.

I wonder if she was always like this...

--lottamoxie: - I love the characterization -" narcissistic conversation hogs"

Originally Posted by lottamoxie

Well I know a couple of them.

One woman I occasionally socialize with is so bad that I'm going to have to back away from the friendship. Why?

She talks nonstop and goes from one long, boring story to the next. She's the type if you ask her the time she'll not only tell you how to build a clock but also where to purchase every single part. Not only that but she will tell the same stories over and over again, so if you're around her a few days later, she's repeating the story again to fill someone else in.

This happened 2 nights ago at a dinner she organized with a total of 5 people. She launched into the same stories I already heard once (and was bored by). I wanted to chew my foot off to escape the bear trap of her monologues.

I have another friend who tends to do this too. We'll be at dinner and she talks about herself nonstop, and in 2 hrs she'll never once ask me what's going on, how I am, what's new or anything.

WTH is wrong with people?

Do people really not know how to hold a normal conversation in which sometimes you talk and sometimes the other person talks and you find some common things of interest to discuss? These people are old enough to know better.

Narcissists drive me bonkers. I find myself walking away thinking, "well there's 2 hrs of my life I'll never get back again."