Conversational narcissism

Conversational narcissism is a term used by the left-wing sociologist Charles Derber in his book The Pursuit of Attention: Power and Ego in Everyday Life. Derber argued that the social support system in America is relatively weak, which leads people to compete for attention. In social situations, he believes that people tend to steer the conversation away from others and toward themselves. "Conversational narcissism is the key manifestation of the dominant attention-getting psychology in America," he wrote. "It occurs in informal conversations among friends, family and coworkers. The profusion of popular literature about listening and the etiquette of managing those who talk constantly about themselves suggests its pervasiveness in everyday life."

Derber asserts that this "conversational narcissism" often occurs subtly rather than overtly because it is socially prudent to avoid being judged an egotist. Derber further distinguishes what he calls the "shift-response" from the "support-response".