In the age of social media and urban dictionaries, you must have heard about the phrase ‘drama queen’. Irrespective of gender, this phrase is used to describe people who have a special liking for drama in order to attract attention toward themselves. They want to be at the center of the limelight at all times. The moment someone else draws away the focus from them, they feel threatened and throw tantrums.
On the surface, it may seem like something harmless. After all, we all have friends and family members who fit this phrase perfectly! However, there is more to this than meets the eye. People who have a passion for drawing attention often go overboard in their effort to do so. They may adopt unhealthy practices and actions so that they focus remains of them. A case in point is that student in the class who wouldn’t obey the teacher simply because the teacher paid him attention, however negative that attention might be.
There are deep psychological reasons why some people simply cannot bear to be a part of a group, or fall back in the background. They have to be at the forefront at all times. These reasons could be rooted in their childhood when they did not get the necessary attention from their parents. Usually, a quieter sibling may find it difficult to grab the attention of parents in the presence of a more extroverted child. Such children grow a sense of fear and insecurity. They are worried that people will ignore their presence and forget all about them. They want to be remembered, no matter what.
All goes along fine as long as the attention-seeking behavior is limited to a certain extent. If that boundary is breached, psychological counseling becomes crucial. If unchecked, such behavior can lead to substance abuse and self-harm. It may also cause other psychological problems that are more harmful to the person concerned and everyone around them. So, if you know someone who is a bit of a ‘drama queen’, make sure you give them a balanced sense of attention. Ignoring or indulging can both be detrimental to their mental state.