[DoreenMichele]

You see that a lot with 2e people -- bright people with some weaknesses or a disability. That could account for how negatively you have experienced this. Many 2e people have never really been taught good ways to handle the combination of big strengths and big weaknesses.

I serve as a sounding board a lot for my oldest son and that works well, but it's not uncommon for such people to just be trying to meet their own need to process information and/or feed their ego, oblivious to how it impacts other people and not really welcoming of the feedback they really need for this to be constructive. A good sounding board doesn't just listen, they ask pertinent questions and make insightful comments that help move the thought process along.

Sometimes when I meet people like that, I'm able to direct the conversation to a more constructive back and forth of that sort. But some people just know they have this need to talk, they have a lot of baggage that makes them openly hostile to meaningful feedback and they crave validation. Anything other than praising their half-baked ideas is met with toxic reactions. In such cases, the best you may be able to do is basically make a few polite noises and then disengage as quickly as possible.

[emeraldd]

What does "2e people" mean in this context ... That's not a term I've run across before?

[DoreenMichele]

Twice exceptional.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

[leoc]

(mobile link! D; )

[leoc]

To be a little blunt about it,

> they have a lot of baggage that makes them openly hostile to meaningful feedback and they crave validation. Anything other than praising their half-baked ideas is met with toxic reactions. In such cases, the best you may be able to do is basically make a few polite noises and then disengage as quickly as possible.

would serve pretty well as a fair description of normal people, ime.

[ficklepickle]

True, almost everyone has baggage. I think the difference is one of scale.

For example, in grade 5 I got a C+ in fine arts. It devastated me to the point where I questioned my abilities and disengaged from schooling. Permanently. It's only been in the last few years that I've actually been able to apply myself to anything.

Now, I can see that was an unreasonable reaction. At the time though, I didn't even understand what was happening.

If I hadn't got a lot of help, I believe I would still be driven by my insecurities to this day and would be impossible to work with.

Edit: typo