Narcissism Glossary

Scrambling topics to cloud the point (circular conversations)

๐Ÿฅ— A conversation style that piles barely-related history, other people's business, and fresh accusations onto the one issue being verified โ€” until the original question becomes unworkable.

In psychiatry, "word salad" means severely disorganized, nearly unintelligible speech โ€” different from the conversation style described here.

Often seen in situations like these

๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Name the problem, and suddenly childhood stories, philosophy, and other people's affairs pour in, clouding the point.

When this happens, try this

๐Ÿ’ก Check whether the original question ever got answered, and whether the same drift keeps repeating. When the conversation keeps sliding sideways, say "let's stay on this one issue for now" โ€” and if it still won't hold, pausing is allowed.

Topic Key pressure tactics ยท Term Topic Flooding and Topic Shifting ยท Also known as Topic Flooding and Topic Shifting

View all terms