Anyone who knows me is aware that I am generally a very vocal individual. When there is a conversation going, I am right at home. If there is not, then I typically strike up a conversation just to avoid the awkward silence. I enjoy interacting with others through telling stories, active listening, singing, and lots of laughter. In order to see the reaction of others when there is a dramatic behavior change in an individual, I found that this would be the most noticeable change for me. I decided to attend a small gathering at my friend’s house acting as a shy and silent guest.

Upon arriving, my friend greeted me at the door and I handed her my jacket without speaking. She looked at me oddly and I proceeded to the living room where the other guests were seated. My friend offered me a drink and I accepted with a nod. The night proceeded in much the same manner where my only response was with a simple nod and eye contact. I avoided laughing at any of the jokes that were told and even held in my shrills as we watched a scary movie. It was very obvious that my actions made my friend and the other guests very uncomfortable. They made a few attempts at the beginning of the night to converse with me but the attempts diminished as the awkwardness increased.

The night was also very uncomfortable for myself. I felt as if I was being very rude and unfriendly through my silence. I wanted desperately to participate with the conversations and the laughter. I felt as if I missed out on many opportunities to interact with the other guests at the gathering. I found that others were very uncomfortable not only because of my silence, but because my silence was an unexpected behavior. People have expectations of others based on their regular behaviors. A dramatic change in these behaviors makes for a scenario where everyone involved is uncertain of how to act toward one another.