# Do you know anyone personally that refers to themselves in the third person? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943 "2026-09-09T23:54:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/21 "2026-09-10T16:00:31Z")
Lots of parents do, talking to their young children. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/22 "2026-09-10T16:09:49Z")
[Bob Dole doesn’t need this.](https://youtu.be/UWz3YzGTLPw?si=fPxYDmflLRehjn6F) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/23 "2026-09-10T16:10:45Z")
[Elmo knows where you live!](https://youtu.be/lFnIsPT1smE?si=yp6wOR0WtntBLalV) ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/24 "2026-09-10T16:48:16Z")
I’ve never actually met anyone who does this, but it brought to mind a story about actor William Boyd, who famously played “Hopalong Cassidy” in movies and on TV. He supposedly would refer to himself as “Hoppy.” It was like he was speaking for his character, not himself. Like Hoppy was a real person. “How would you like to play a circus?” “Sure. Hoppy loves the circus.” or “Would you make an appearance at a supermarket opening?” “No, Hoppy doesn’t do supermarket openings.” People thought it was weird. Boyd was a really smart man, though. The studio that made his old movies thought they were worthless. He bought the rights, sold them to television and made a fortune. He had a whole new career thanks to that. Hoppy was a pretty good businessman. I vaguely remember seeing him at the circus when I was very young, but I vividly remember seeing him on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/25 "2026-09-10T17:23:10Z")
I do it in my head. Oh, crap. Now y’all know I’m hearing voices. I’m not crazy, been examined. 🤤 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/26 "2026-09-10T17:26:04Z")
We prefer first person plural. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/27 "2026-09-10T17:44:16Z")
WE insist on the majestic plural. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/28 "2026-09-10T17:46:03Z")
We too do that. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/29 "2026-09-10T18:11:25Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But in any event, there is currently abundant evidence – at least from “Truth Social” – that someone who habitually refers to himself in the third person is a demented narcissist. I would like a cite for this, unless it is just another dig at trump. My cite showed otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/30 "2026-09-10T18:29:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I would like a cite for this Cite: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcsd3DW9pPs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcsd3DW9pPs) ---
**Author:** ![FMera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fmera/32/9857_2.png) [@FMera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FMera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/31 "2026-09-10T18:33:41Z")
RPG = appropriate. But show biz folk? Oh man, that explains a lot. ---
**Author:** ![FMera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fmera/32/9857_2.png) [@FMera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FMera)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/32 "2026-09-10T18:34:09Z")
To me, it’s SO weird. And also funny, as in “Jimmy really likes Elaine.” ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/33 "2026-09-10T19:04:48Z")
Yes, I did. I stayed in a boarding house in Beaverton, OR, one summer and there was another boarder there named Dave. He was…not quite right. In fact, both of the other boarders had some mental issues and I believe that the owner of the house was in a program where people were referred to her from a state agency. (Of course, I fit right in.) Dave was ordinarily very cheerful and ALWAYS referred to himself as “Dave.” However, he had some anger management issues and could change in a flash. It turned out that he also preferred us to refer to him as “Dave” whenever we were talking directly to him. “Yes, sir, Dave’s going down to the bowling alley after work!” “Is Dave a good bowler? What is Dave’s high score?” “Dave has bowled a 240.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/34 "2026-09-10T19:14:31Z")
Obligatory Mitchell & Webb clip: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VmZkac-XLBc/maxresdefault.jpg "Mitchell and Webb — I, Caesar") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmZkac-XLBc) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/35 "2026-09-10T22:03:02Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > He would continually refer to himself in the third person and provide a running commentary on his performance. He called himself “Bestie”. Example: “Bestie is coming out to bat, swinging his arms to loosen up. Bestie’s gonna get into the bowling today for sure. He’s gonna do some damage.” And on and on, for hours on end. Baseball player Rickey Henderson was also notorious for speaking in the third person. “Ricky going to take off!” [https://www.fanhospitality.com/blog/2017/04/10/top-10-times-rickey-henderson-referred-to-himself-in-the-third-person/](https://www.fanhospitality.com/blog/2017/04/10/top-10-times-rickey-henderson-referred-to-himself-in-the-third-person/) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/36 "2026-09-10T22:17:58Z")
I’ve never known anyone who referred to themselves in the third person - even surgeons, who are more prone to narcissism than other physicians. > [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > But in any event, there is currently abundant evidence – at least from “Truth Social” – that someone who habitually refers to himself in the third person is a demented narcissist. > > I would like a cite for this, unless it is just another dig at trump. My cite showed otherwise. There are [plenty of examples](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZsOIgM-nFo). ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/37 "2026-09-10T23:46:13Z")
In the Robert Philip Hanssen biopic _Breach_, he’s shown doing this from the backseat immediately after his arrest. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/38 "2026-09-11T00:15:32Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > There are [plenty of examples](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZsOIgM-nFo). More blind Youtube links, which prove absolutely nothing. My cite stands, your YT do not. Sure trump refers to himself in the third person, and he seems to be a narcissist. But he also has children- does this mean anyone who has kids is a narcissist? He has a bachelor’s degree in economics- that clearly means that everyone with such a degree is a narcissist, right? 🙀 🙄 I do not give a good goddamn that trump often refers to himself in the 3rd person- that is not in any wayshapeorform an argument that everyone who does that is a narcissist. Get over it. My cite stands. > **[Illeism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illeism)** > > Illeism (/ˈɪli.ɪzəm/; from Latin ille: "he; that man") is the act of referring to oneself in the third person instead of first person. It is sometimes used in literature as a stylistic device. In real-life usage, illeism can reflect a number of different stylistic intentions or involuntary circumstances. Early literature such as Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico or Xenophon's Anabasis, both ostensibly non-fictional accounts of wars led by their authors, used illeism to impart an air of... and here is another > **[This Seemingly Narcissistic Habit May Actually Be Good For You](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-it-means-if-you-speak-in-third-person-all-the-time-ano_l_66a2a89ae4b04c3a30248d47)** > > Donald Trump, Alix Earle and LeBron James have all been guilty of it. > Surprisingly, there’s little research or anecdotal evidence that the habit is more common among narcissists, according to [Elinor Greenberg](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/elinor-greenberg-phd), the author of the book, “Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Personality Disorder: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety.” “Half of my practice is people in treatment for narcissistic personality disorder. None of them refer to themselves in the third person,” she said. “It is really not common at all.” ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/39 "2026-09-11T01:38:00Z")
That article did point out something that hadn’t occurred to me. Many of us probably have used the third person when talking to small children, such as “Daddy has to work late tonight.” Re: Trump, the author points out: > In the case of Trump using third person, [Chris Stevens](https://drchris.life/), a psychologist and the host of the podcast [“Psychology to Live By,”](https://open.spotify.com/show/5dSmeukdGOzr91jaCAmfbN)believes it’s “grandiosity, pure and simple,” not some ironic joke or a self-care strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2026, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943/40 "2026-09-11T02:20:11Z")
Not all people who refer to themselves in the third person are narcissists. But narcissists who do so as a function of their narcissism - well, [there’s an undeniable connection there](https://medium.com/@raijordan_36935/want-to-know-if-youre-talking-to-a-narcissist-these-are-the-signs-3a2ae8bd90c0). > [@](#): > > Talking to a narcissist is like talking to a brick wall. Talk to a brick wall, and people will call you crazy. Talk to a narcissist and, well… _you’ll make yourself crazy_. > > It can be difficult to navigate the conversational quirks that dictate a narcissist’s normal speech patterns. They rely on cheap tricks to bait you into giving supply; they’re like a black hole, and the more life-force they suck from you, the bigger their ego becomes. > > They refer to themselves in the third person > > The Narcissist likes to talk about themselves as if they were the main character in a storybook — It’s like Main Character syndrome, but on steroids. Sound like anyone you know? \*“Talking to a narcissist is like talking to a brick wall”. Of course, that doesn’t mean that a person who presents as a brick wall is necessarily a narcissist. 😀 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-anyone-personally-that-refers-to-themselves-in-the-third-person/1032943.md?page=3)