People often cut one another off in conversation for a variety of reasons. Many people view interruptions as inconsiderate and a reflection of people who are self-centered, impatient or rude.
People interrupt for a number of reasons: In many cases, the need to complete a train of thought leads people to interject comments at inappropriate times. At other times, interrupting can be a way to contribute to a conversation to help demonstrate that the other person is listening.
When someone cuts you off like that, it means they don't want to hear what you have to say. That's it. They don't want to listen to you. Now, this could be for all sorts of reasons.
According to Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, cutting people off is often a form of self-protection.
Deciding to take care of yourself isn't something to feel guilty for or ashamed about. Easier said than done, I know, but it's a vital truth. Cutting someone off because they hurt you doesn't make you a bad person. You're a human worthy of respect, and you need to take care of yourself.
It is okay to cut someone out of your life. Sometimes, it is necessary. Although it isn't particularly easy, there comes a time in almost everyone's life where there's a person one needs distance from or that one needs to cut out of their life for good.
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.
Sometimes, our listeners interrupt because they can't get a word in edgewise. If you are speaking continuously without giving others an opportunity to share, they will likely cut in and take over. Instead, pause to listen and give others an opportunity to speak.
One of the many ADHD traits that gets misread as a sign of rudeness is the habit of interrupting people in conversations, usually with a thought that seems completely unrelated to the topic. When someone gets cut off, they often think it means you weren't really listening or you don't care what they have to say.
Overtalking tends to be due to anxiety or hyperactivity. It is usually triggered by a sense of inadequacy or discomfort that is often so deep-seated and habitual that an individual has little awareness they are overtalking. Social apprehension triggers a stress response, also referred to a 'fight or flight' response.
Interrupts are commonly used by hardware devices to indicate electronic or physical state changes that require time-sensitive attention. Interrupts are also commonly used to implement computer multitasking, especially in real-time computing.
If you feel emotionally drained, abused, manipulated, devalued, deceived, like you are hard to love and respect or, like you need to lower your standards to be in a relationship with someone… You should consider cutting them off.
But remember, cutting off a friendship can have major consequences. Your friend could become aggressive or cruel towards you, and you might lose some of your mutual friends. Make your friends aware of the situation and have them there for you as support.
Many people with ADHD have hyperactive-impulsive traits. That means they might do things without thinking too much about the consequences of their actions. Butting in a conversation or interrupting people can be a manifestation of their impulsivity.
Many people with ADHD tend to talk faster than others, too, which can lead to them inadvertently cutting off others while speaking.
Examples of common ADHD texting challenges:
Forgetting to check or reply to messages. Perfectionism; overthinking your texts, sometimes erasing them completely. Misinterpreting tone of voice (sarcasm, joking, etc.) General social anxiety.
It's not selfish to choose yourself first. Cutting people off doesn't mean you hate them. It just means that you love yourself and know when to give up on toxic relationships. Maybe, they would realize this and start making changes for their own good as well.
It's rude when it inhibits the effective transmission of the message the person is trying to get across. So for example, if a person starts talking, and you get all excited, like, “Oh, this is amazing!” And you want to get in your idea, so you interrupt them, conveying their message to share your point.
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.
There's actually a word for that: a conversational narcissist. To better understand this type of narcissism and how to know if you're talking to one, mbg spoke with psychologists and clinical therapists. Here's what they have to say about conversational narcissism.