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Communication concerns
Originally Published: October 12, 2001 ~ Last Updated / Reviewed on: October 26, 2001
 
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(1)
Dear Alice,

The question about REFERRING TO ONE'S SELF IN THE THIRD PERSON immediately made me think of Bob Dole, who has a tendency to refer to himself as Bob Dole, instead of the more traditional "I." When he was running for the presidency, SNL and many comedians made fun of this particular habit. Perhaps whomever it is that "Confused" heard referring to him/herself in the third person picked up the habit at that point in time, or just thinks it's funny. Perhaps that person is self- conscious about others forgetting his/her name... Who knows.

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(2)
Alice,

This is a habit that I, myself, am guilty of on an almost daily basis. Not only has it become a slight habit, but also I often say things like, "Bill and Cassandra (me) are going to the mall now" and "Come on, Cassandra will pick up the tab" and "Want to come over to Cassandra's tonite?". I also refer to others in the third person as well. Many find this humorous or "cute." I began speaking like this to be funny/cute, but now it's a characteristic of my personality. Sometimes it's just plain annoying (Tarzan and Jane), especially when it is used in a Neanderthal or caveman mannerism. Sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's funny. We obviously want attention.

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