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People Who Can't Stop Talking About Themselves

by Gamma
(USA)

Photo Credit: melvelez

I am trying to understand the underlying mechanics of why some people can't stop talking about themselves? I know this one person who is always talking about how smart, or wild, or extreme they are or were growing up. Everything is very dramatic.

This person is a cancer survivor and are on a cancer prevention committee. Tonight I tried to change the conversation to prevention in the local community (enforcing existing smoking laws in the local community) and this persons energy dropped like a rock.

As soon as I stopped and they started talking about themselves again their energy came back up? I have pointed out the behavior in the past, but it does not seem to register. This person goes right back to the same behavior. They are not completely self centered. This person does things for other people, (Fix dinner, give someone a ride, ect..., but I get the impression that it is still connected, always having to one up the other person, and inevitably the conversation gets back to themselves.

Participating in this does not feel healthy, or satisfying. I do find myself interested in trying to understand the pattern, or mechanism of what makes this person behave this way? Any insight would be appreciated?

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narcissim?
by: Anonymous

I know someone who started talking about her problems as a teenager and has continued to do this for the past 30 years. She tells anyone who will listen about her disadvantaged childhood, including complete strangers, she has little to no interest in anybody else,if challenged about this she turns the conversation back to herself.she never acknowledges the terrible way she treated other family members, shows no remorse, and considers herself superior to them. 30 years have passed and she still thinks she can use them to listen to her problems, they have since turned their back on her, and distanced themselves and she has gotten very verbally aggressive to them, How dare they be not there for her use, the fact that she has never been their for them is of no consideration TO HER.

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People who talk all the time
by: ss

I have puzzled about this problem for about 50 years. A relative talked incessantly. Nothing mean or anything like that, just a quiet nonstop monologue about what was going on in her household. She was a perfectly functional person, but she never stopped talking.

Since that time, I have known several other people who could not stop talking. If you ask them to stop talking, they become irritated and upset. This must be some syndrome or other, I have never read anything about it, but I surely would like to. Is it inherited in some way? Is there a treatment?

Please post any information. Thanks.

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