DIALOGUE/COMMUNICATION

The Conversational Narcissist

When people don’t ask about you in conversations

Henya Drescher
Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs
3 min readOct 4, 2023

--

Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

We’ve all met people who constantly make everything about themselves, with little regard for others. And whether you’re dating them, friends with them, or they’re a family member, you’ve probably noticed they’re not exactly pleasant to be around.

A few years ago, I met a radio announcer for lunch. He was to interview me about my newly published novel.

At first, he appeared perfect — open, outgoing, and willing to share. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as expected, and soon enough, he launched into lengthy stories about his childhood and an ongoing love affair with a married woman. During the long monologue about himself, he clutched his breast, breathing hard, unaware that tears were falling amidst convulsing gasps.

The intensity of my discomfort didn’t surprise me. I felt trapped. Yet I continued with the right sounds and what I believed were sympathy nods. All the while, I observed his orbicular features — round eyes, round nose, round cheekbones. I even arranged my face to demonstrate his feelings, possibly because he divulged such intimate details.

Looking back, I remember feeling that uncomfortable blurring of edges, the slight disassociation…

--

--

Henya Drescher
Bouncin’ and Behavin’ Blogs

Psychological thrillers writer, wife, mother, weightlifter, gardener. Stolen Truth on Amazon.