What is it called when someone constantly interrupts you? This behavior is often referred to as chronic interrupting. In cases where that person constantly changes the subject to talk about themselves, they might be referred to as a conversational narcissist.
Interrupting implies that you deem your words more worthy than the remainder of what the other person has to say. You appear uncontrolled. People will view you as not having the self-discipline to avoid being rude and egotistical. You lose power. When people talk, they often worry about what you think.
Self-focused behavior
A common sign of ADHD is what looks like an inability to recognize other people's needs and desires. This can lead to the next two signs: interrupting.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (465) A conversational narcissist is someone who constantly turns the conversation toward themselves and steps away when the conversation is no longer about them. They are generally uninterested in what other people have to say.
Some states of mania, anxiety, or agitation make people talk non-stop. Talking is a way to express their anguish. Their restlessness keeps them from being quiet or listening. Their way of talking is compulsive, and often disordered.
nonstop. perpetual. relentless. round-the-clock. unceasing.
Interrupting is rude when it gets in the way of the speaker transmitting their message effectively (completely, concisely, clearly). As a shorthand, interrupting is rude if the interruption is about you, your ideas, your wants rather than about what the person is trying to communicate.
The ADHD brain is prone to interrupt others due to difficulties with impulse control, directing attention, and working memory. It's important to understand that ADHDers don't intend to be rude by interrupting. It's an involuntary part of having ADHD.
Behavioral scientist Alan Keen believes the stress and overload that comes from constantly being expected to multitask is causing an “epidemic of rage.” Interruption and task switching raises stress hormones and adrenaline, which tends to make us more aggressive and impulsive.
Stop talking
Consider stopping speaking when someone interrupts you. Allow for a brief pause, and then continue with a question like, "May I finish?" and resume sharing your thought. However, if someone is especially rude, you may choose to not resume the conversation and walk away.
Listen for a brief time to be polite, then simply say, "Excuse me, I'd love to talk more, but I have a deadline to attend to." If they continue the conversation anyway, you respond firmly with, "Let's set up a time to talk later."
“When we're interrupted, the performance of our brain and the quality of our decisions go down. We tend not to process all the information in front of us. We have to simplify, so we take shortcuts and that's not always very good,” Leroy told NBC News BETTER.
Interrupting can be very hurtful and unhealthy relationship behavior. But what is really going on? Your partner might be in a bad mood, frustrated, resorting to bullying, or simply unaware. Interruption might be part of someone's habitual style of talking.
“Self-medicating” with argument is a prime example. Many people with ADHD are, if anything, argument-averse. And certainly, you needn't have ADHD to be an argumentative son of a gun. Yet, some individuals with ADHD do habitually bait others into heated disagreements.
People with ADHD tend to talk — a lot. We talk because we're excited or nervous, or because we just want to be a part of the conversation. Sometimes we talk simply to fill the silence because silence is hard for us.
Interruptions add tension to a conversation. The level of involvement increases, and the need to finish thoughts and compete for talk time can create unnecessary stress. Another reason interruptions hurt is because many times, great ideas are not heard.
pertinacious. sedulous. steadfast. stop-at-nothing.
sedulous \SEJ-uh-lus\ adjective. 1 : involving or accomplished with careful perseverance. 2 : diligent in application or pursuit.
rebuff. verb. formal to refuse to talk to someone or do what they suggest.
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder where a person is unable to speak in certain social situations, such as with classmates at school or to relatives they do not see very often. It usually starts during childhood and, if left untreated, can persist into adulthood.
Interrupting tells the person speaking that you don't care what they have to say. You think that your voice is more important, or don't have time to really listen to them. It can even make it seem that you weren't really listening properly at all and were just waiting for your moment to interject.