Something happens to me with a certain frequency and I have yet to understand it. In a social group of people who are just getting to know each other, there are people I run into who only ask questions, and so I find the constant question-asking to be a defense mechanism (if that's the right term). That is, "I don't know how to go about talking to random people but if I just keep the questions coming, it'll be easier for me."
So there are times when I feel all I've done is talk about myself and it makes me uncomfortable in the end. The only option open to me in these circumstances is to force the direction of the conversation on them. When I've just uttered the last word to the answer of the question they've asked, they ask me a follow-up before I've taken my next breath, so I'd have to force "enough about me, what's your experience with ____?" When I run into such a person, I usually give up and just answer all their questions. It's not that I don't want to know about them.
Do you find any truth in this or has it ever happened to you, on either end of the spectrum?
I've experienced this. I think you understand it well enough. It is uncomfortable because it is a one-sided conversation and when you know that the person might think they are manipulating you into liking them, it is hard not to feel exploited.
I'm happy to say that some of the worst offenders in my life have improved their style over the years and respond to my answers with anecdotes of their own. They might still think they're getting me to like them but the conversation is interesting enough that I'm not annoyed by it.
So there are times when I feel all I've done is talk about myself and it makes me uncomfortable in the end. The only option open to me in these circumstances is to force the direction of the conversation on them. When I've just uttered the last word to the answer of the question they've asked, they ask me a follow-up before I've taken my next breath, so I'd have to force "enough about me, what's your experience with ____?" When I run into such a person, I usually give up and just answer all their questions. It's not that I don't want to know about them.
Do you find any truth in this or has it ever happened to you, on either end of the spectrum?