A technical term for oversharing
December 16, 2012 11:28 PM Subscribe
Is there a term in psychiatry for pathological oversharing?
Someone once told me of a psychiatric symptom that was more or less pathological oversharing -- being overly willing to share intimate details with non-intimate friends.
I think the example used was meeting a stranger at a party and soon after sharing with them details of traumatic experiences from one's past most people would regard as intensely private, eg an episode of self-cutting.
Is that a thing? Does it have a name?
Someone once told me of a psychiatric symptom that was more or less pathological oversharing -- being overly willing to share intimate details with non-intimate friends.
I think the example used was meeting a stranger at a party and soon after sharing with them details of traumatic experiences from one's past most people would regard as intensely private, eg an episode of self-cutting.
Is that a thing? Does it have a name?
You might be interested in communication privacy management theory, specifically the concept of boundary turbulence. Maybe also conversational narcissism.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:58 PM on December 16, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 11:58 PM on December 16, 2012 [10 favorites]
I don't think this is a be-all, end-all thing unto itself but rather a feature of many different mental disorders and personalities. I've seen it in narcissists and people with bi-polar disorder, and in people with tremendous insecurity or loneliness, and it usually seems to come alongside other symptoms and traits.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 12:19 AM on December 17, 2012
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 12:19 AM on December 17, 2012
This can also be a poor social/communication skill, as sometimes it is appropriate to meet someone at a party and end up connecting deeply right away. It's only oversharing when the sharee isn't on the same page as the sharer, which is likely clear to everyone but the sharer. Like These Birds of a Feather said, loneliness can be a factor. It can also be that the sharer isn't skilled at reading nonverbal social cues.
posted by headnsouth at 2:58 AM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 2:58 AM on December 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
It's called "poor boundaries". This is a nice layman discussion.
drjimmy11: you're right to say that poor boundaries isn't a mental illness. but psychology isn't just the study of mental illness. it's the study of human thought and behaviour, of which poor boundaries is surely a facet.
of course, the OP asked about psychiatry, which i am unqualified to comment on.
posted by michelle lightning at 5:57 AM on December 17, 2012
drjimmy11: you're right to say that poor boundaries isn't a mental illness. but psychology isn't just the study of mental illness. it's the study of human thought and behaviour, of which poor boundaries is surely a facet.
of course, the OP asked about psychiatry, which i am unqualified to comment on.
posted by michelle lightning at 5:57 AM on December 17, 2012
DSM IV is your best starting point.
No it isn't. DSM IV contains a list of diagnoses, and is not analogous with a glossary of psychiatric or psychological terminology.
There is not such term per se. Someone who habitually does this might be described as having "poor boundaries," which is a bit more of a term of art in psychiatry and psychology than it is in ordinary conversation, although it means basically the same thing. There are also a variety of different terms to describe the ways in which someone is talking, so if things were really extreme, and they seemed like they just had to share and share right now, they might be described as having "pressured speech."
posted by OmieWise at 5:59 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
No it isn't. DSM IV contains a list of diagnoses, and is not analogous with a glossary of psychiatric or psychological terminology.
There is not such term per se. Someone who habitually does this might be described as having "poor boundaries," which is a bit more of a term of art in psychiatry and psychology than it is in ordinary conversation, although it means basically the same thing. There are also a variety of different terms to describe the ways in which someone is talking, so if things were really extreme, and they seemed like they just had to share and share right now, they might be described as having "pressured speech."
posted by OmieWise at 5:59 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
You might want to look into social penetration theory. There isn't really a technical term for this, but I would possibly call it something like, "non-reciprocal self-disclosure" (which doesn't really capture the entirety of what you're getting at).
posted by Fuego at 8:30 AM on December 17, 2012
posted by Fuego at 8:30 AM on December 17, 2012
In attachment theory, there is an idea about people (in particular children) who are poorly attached being prone to indiscriminate attachment.
posted by decathexis at 9:16 AM on December 17, 2012
posted by decathexis at 9:16 AM on December 17, 2012
there's Pressured Speech, which happens with bipolar and schizophrenia. It can include over sharing.
posted by hotelechozulu at 11:52 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hotelechozulu at 11:52 AM on December 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
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You could maybe say that in some cases it's evidence of "poor impulse control," which is a sign of some mental illnesses. However that's usually exemplified by more serious things like excessive substance abuse, gambling, or risky sexual behavior.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:41 PM on December 16, 2012 [2 favorites]