There are certain characteristics in a personality that are so subtle they cannot be clearly categorized. The other night I was complimented about a pasta side-dish I created earlier that day, and another person changed the subject to about how she makes pasta from scratch.
There is another individual who will absolutely always have to have the last say in EVERY EXCHANGE that happens in a group. There is nothing he doesn't know at least something about, and he will change the context of the discussion to something completely different in order to get eyes on himself.
At first I dismissed it, criticizing myself for making a big deal about it, but this kind of toxicity is insidious and I'm often left exhausted at the end of the day. It's so subtle I didn't know what to call it until I typed in the Google search box "taking over a conversation and making it about themselves". What popped up was "Conversational Narcissism."
- Art of Manliness: How to Avoid Conversational Narcissism (01/24/2020)
- Hack Spirit: Conversational narcissism: 5 signs and what you can do about it (09/11/2019)
- NBC News: How to tell if you're a 'conversational narcissist' (12/04/2017)
- term: "Shift Response"
- Insider: Narcissists use a subtle conversation tactic to make everything about them, and you may not notice it until its driving you crazy (07/30/2019)