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The Imp Of The Perverse

(150 Posts)
MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 15:54:01

Have you experienced, or heard of this?

It's an urge to do something you never ever would, such as stepping in front of a car, or shouting at an inappropriate time, or anything, really.

Apparently its named after something in an Edgar Allan Poe writing.

I often have the impulse to pull the hair of whoever is sitting in front of me on the bus blush

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 17:59:28

There used to be an elderly woman who would hit all the teens on the bus. A real clip around the ear - they thought it was great fun.

merlotgran Thu 06-Feb-20 17:59:38

When I was a child I used to think it would be great fun to post a Strawberry Mivvi in a letter box.

Never did it though.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 18:02:16

Put it on your bucket list, Merlot. smile

merlotgran Thu 06-Feb-20 18:05:56

Knowing my luck I'd get caught on CCTV MissA.

Can you still get Strawberry Mivvis?

Witzend Thu 06-Feb-20 18:06:41

Hmmm. Aeons ago when my dds were probably 9 and 12, and driving me mad with endless ‘fighting’ noise, plus the dog joining in with barking, and they would not stop, despite my repeated pleading, I felt like running away and leaving them. (Dh was away for work at the time.).

Dear GNers, I actually did it! I got in the car, drove over 2 hours to a friend I hadn’t seen for ages, and stayed the night.
Turned up on the doorstep saying, ‘I’ve run away from my children!’ (As I’d known she would, she just found it hilarious.)
It was lovely!
Gave dds a bit of a shock, though!

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 18:07:01

Cue photofit of Merlot on crimewatch. grin

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 18:10:39

Does it have to be a Mivvi, Merlot?

merlotgran Thu 06-Feb-20 18:20:52

I actually hated Strawberry Mivvis! My friends all loved them but I thought they were sickly so if I couldn't buy a plain orange lolly I'd buy one rather than go without (how perverse is that?)

A bit like chucking a drink in a potted plant when nobody's looking I had to resist the urge to post it where nobody would see where it had gone. grin

KatyK Thu 06-Feb-20 18:36:43

These are funny and very reassuring. I too thought it was just me!

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 18:42:43

It's unresolved, toxic dysfunction being repeated as per unresolved trauma (i.e. think of a similar experience you had), in some cases plain old abuse.

Childhood based trama put simply.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 18:43:48

Oops lookut!

*trauma

craftergran Thu 06-Feb-20 18:58:51

Glad I'm not the only one with a knife thing!

Trauma? Well I did know of a family whose teenage son and brother were fighting and one fatally stabbed the other.

Also my mum was on a jury where the case was a stabbing at a party. Apparantly they had knives in a knife block on kitchen counter and ...

Jane10 Thu 06-Feb-20 18:59:26

I used to sit opposite a very ample, very nice lady at formal meetings. The urge to call her 'manatee' was almost irresistible! It happened every time I saw her. So unkind. I do know I'm a bad person. What makes it worse is that she's so nice she'd probably forgive me.

craftergran Thu 06-Feb-20 19:00:51

....but those cases happened when I was an adult

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:01:34

The only trauma I had as a child was when "someone" picked at the seam of the wallpaper in the toilet and my mum wouldn't let us watch 'The Banana Splits' until one of us confessed.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:04:06

grin Jane10

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:08:30

crafter
Trauma can happen at any age, and does have a lasting effect however subtle, that will manifest itself later on.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:09:44

Most of the problems raised on GN can be traced directly back to family dysfunction.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:10:19

...Even the trolling.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:20:55

The jury is out on what causes these thoughts, from what I have read on Google.
Obviously if they're taking over your life then its an issue, I suppose.
For me, I see them as a harmless break in a humdrum life; a little holiday from reality.

Greymar Thu 06-Feb-20 19:24:10

I don't buy your trauma theory. It's fun to be silly.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:30:43

I didn't say you don't find it fun.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:38:36

I hope some more people will confess to their impish thoughts.
I find it intriguing.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:44:09

MissAdventure

Slapping children round the head is really not funny
- just very sad for all concerned.

Ninarosa Thu 06-Feb-20 19:45:43

When I was a child I leaned out of my bedroom window and threw a (small) apple at my Dad who was gardening below. It hit it's target. I can still recall the thrill of it. Still recall the leg slapping too.
Emboldened by this I (sometime later) hid behind our pantry door with an open bottle of HP sauce in my hand.I knew my Dad was coming downstairs after waking up from day shift at the pit. What I didn't know was that he was only half dressed, no underwear on. Cue to me jumping out at him and with all my might, throwing the contents of the bottle at him.
I can still see the brown sauce dripping off his " too- too ". Bit more than a leg slapping that time.