Why the F%$# Do People Refer to Themselves in the Third Person?

[sheshe2]

Felix Stockwell
Major Human Flaw: Some people refer to themselves in the third person.

Response No. 1, by Elsa Ronningstam, associate clinical professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and author of Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality: Referring to yourself in the third person creates distance between "I" and "he." So if you have an exaggerated view of how great you are, you could be using this distance to make yourself even bigger. Or, if you've achieved major success suddenly, using the third person could be a way to adjust to the bigger role that's been assigned to you. It's a way to enlarge yourself to fit that role.



http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a5036/third-person-1108/

Spot on. Donnie boy to a T.

[Takket]

1. Takket appreciates the info. Thanks!

[unblock]

2. unblock never refers to himself in the third person.

[Me.]

3. To Avoid Responsibility?

He did it, trump did, not me donald

[Roland99]

4. Jimmy likes Elaine.

[BigmanPigman]

5. That Seinfeld episode came to my mind right away too!

[Javaman]

13. George doesn't like this! lol nt

[democratisphere]

6. Maybe they're having an out of body experience.

[TlalocW]

7. The small website shop I work for did some stuff with Garth Brooks several years ago

He refers to himself in the 3rd person in meetings as a short way of saying, "I, in regards to my professional image/persona, wouldwould not do that." No ego involved. Just stuff like, "Garth would not murder the Queen of England, even if it would make a great episode of CSI."

TlalocW

[PSPS]

8. Bob Dole read this and Bob Dole didn't like it. Signed, Bob Dole.

[fierywoman]

9. The "Royal we"

[Hekate]

10. Hekate says that Hekate is terribly important, a legend in her own mind, and Hekate's name ...

...must therefore be repeated ad infinitum. Perhaps next Hekate will have a gold commemorative coin struck with her name on it in four places.

[sheshe2]

14. ...

[Jim Lane]

11. Bob Dole did that often when he was campaigning.

When he was asked about it, he said, "Gets the name out there."

[kentuck]

15. "You know it, the American people know it, and Bob Dole knows it.."

[ProudLib72]

12. Proudlib72 has deemed it ok to shorten his name to PL72

And wishes he had had the foresight to come up with a shorter (and more dramatic) name in the first place.