Conversational Narcissists and Conversational Doormats

[Klein Bottle]

Oh my goodness, there's a name for my condition??   
Hello folks, my name is Jane and I am a Conversational Narcissist. 
It's a condition that I fight every day, but honestly, I could talk to a fencepost for hours and hardly notice.  I find myself biting my tongue every day, and many many times at parties, trying *not* to bring the conversation back around to me me me me me. 

I need to join Narcissists Anonymous. 
If you ever meet me at a party, please don't hesitate to shut me down.  Please!

The fact that you are aware of it tells me you probably don't do this nearly as much as you think you do! Or, at the very least, you are working on it.    True CNs are completely oblivious. 

[LadyJaneinMD]

Oh my goodness, there's a name for my condition??   
Hello folks, my name is Jane and I am a Conversational Narcissist. 
It's a condition that I fight every day, but honestly, I could talk to a fencepost for hours and hardly notice.  I find myself biting my tongue every day, and many many times at parties, trying *not* to bring the conversation back around to me me me me me. 

I need to join Narcissists Anonymous. 
If you ever meet me at a party, please don't hesitate to shut me down.  Please!

The fact that you are aware of it tells me you probably don't do this nearly as much as you think you do! Or, at the very least, you are working on it.    True CNs are completely oblivious.

No, I really *do* do it that much.  There's a reason why I tend to avoid people and spend a great deal of my time alone.   I can't relax around other people. I have to keep a tight rein on myself All The Time and it's exhausting.
Not only do I talk a whole lot, I get louder and louder until I realize I'm shouting.  Very embarrassing.

[mbbored]

Oh my goodness, there's a name for my condition??   
Hello folks, my name is Jane and I am a Conversational Narcissist. 
It's a condition that I fight every day, but honestly, I could talk to a fencepost for hours and hardly notice.  I find myself biting my tongue every day, and many many times at parties, trying *not* to bring the conversation back around to me me me me me. 

I need to join Narcissists Anonymous. 
If you ever meet me at a party, please don't hesitate to shut me down.  Please!

The fact that you are aware of it tells me you probably don't do this nearly as much as you think you do! Or, at the very least, you are working on it.    True CNs are completely oblivious.

No, I really *do* do it that much.  There's a reason why I tend to avoid people and spend a great deal of my time alone.   I can't relax around other people. I have to keep a tight rein on myself All The Time and it's exhausting.
Not only do I talk a whole lot, I get louder and louder until I realize I'm shouting.  Very embarrassing.
[/quote

Me too! It makes parties stressful because either I'm talking too much or I'm so focused on not talking that I'm being a bad listener.

[NbyNW]

Conversational doormat here! I've always been introverted but willing to converse. I married an introverted almost anti-social man so over the years we had few friends (I tended to have more than WE did). In the past few years we've retired and move across the country to a place where the only people we know are our daughter and her husband and a nearby sibling and her husband. I don't have many chances to hone my meager conversational skills.

I've noticed that often when I am speaking I am interrupted and spoken over. I will usually resume what I was saying after the other person has finished what they are saying but if interrupted again will just let it go.

It does seem to me this happens more now than it did years ago. I've just assumed I'm a less interesting conversationalist these days.

[Rusty]

I have a relative who has never heard of a two sided conversation.  I have to periodically call her and always dread it.  If I can manage to get a word or two in she starts loudly sighing in the background to indicate that she is not interested in what I have to say, and then just interrupts and goes back to her constant drone.

I have tried everything from talking over her, to saying, "if I can just say this". Nothing works.   She wonders why no one wants to call her or invite her to anything, or if they do, everyone runs for cover if she comes over.     One relative plucked up the courage once to call her a "conversational terrorist", but it didn't seem to have any affect.

If anyone finds a cure, let me know.

[Venus193]

I have someone like that, too.  It gets on my last nerve and my inability to defeat this issue so far is hurting my ego!