Conversational Narcissists

Topic

Conversational narcissists are individuals who consistently dominate interactions by steering the focus of discussion back to themselves, often utilizing "shift responses" rather than "support responses." The term "conversational narcissism" was originally coined by sociologist Charles Derber in his 1980 book, "The Pursuit of Attention," to describe this subtle, ego-centered behavior in everyday communication. Unlike clinical narcissistic personality disorder, it is a behavioral communication style characterized by an asymmetric pursuit of attention during social exchanges.