I can ignore you forever if you let me.
However, when it comes to the contrary, I'm definitely at a disadvantage.
Do you notice sometimes when you have a conversation within a group of people and there is always the alpha member who tends to dominate the colloquy? They tend to present the social event with a story or anecdote of some kind while others patiently listen.
Then you have the piggy-backer, who is skilled at knowing precisely at the right time when to pick up where the conversation left off. They are exceptional at waiting until just the exact moment when the alpha needs a second to breathe, before they interject and piggy-back off of the alpha's anecdotal story. One must be careful in social groups that contain strong alphas and piggy-backers. These two can easily dominate a conversation and leave no room for others to converse.
Then there are the two-centers. These guys leave their two-cents into a confabulation at certain intervals. They usually speak in one or two sentences at the most. They can sometimes come off as introverted and reserved, but they're not generally interested in engaging in lengthy chats. They succinctly like to express themselves in a few words, and then they resume bites of their meal or take sips of their drink and allow the conversation to flow its natural course.
Now you have me. I'm the silent partner. I'm only like this in the very beginning when I first meet you or when I'm being bashful. Once I get comfortable and my walls are broken down I evolve up to the piggy-backer, but that's as far as it goes. However as the silent partner he or she tends to be so quiet that they become a wallflower at a social gathering. At times there are not even noticeable and they blend in easily with the crowd. The silent partner can easily find themselves among a group of people who are all drinking and they are the only one finished with their beverage because everyone else have chatted the night away.
The silent partner can sometimes come off as weird or disengaged from the group which can be interpreted in a number of ways---most of them being negative. My suggestion is if you find a silent partner within your social circle, take 10 seconds and ask them about who they are, or pay them a compliment. It's not that they are trying to be rude and dismissive, it is more likely that they do not know how to properly socially interact with people.
I've taken courses in sociology, but on a much broader scale of its definition. I need a course on Human Social Engagement 101. I'm getting there, because I understand the levels of social activity and interplay, but in the beginning I'm still the silent partner.
Which one are you?
Silent Partner?
Two-Center?
Piggy-Backer?
Alpha Member?
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