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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 20:46:22

Oh, I am sorry for being horrible, ananimous.
I don't like bad feeling. flowers

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 20:40:44

Nobody did. Have you thought of taking up creative writing?
That's quite an imagination you have there.

Chewbacca Thu 06-Feb-20 20:40:16

Accepted. No problem.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 20:38:24

My apologies to those that think physical abuse is humourous.

Chewbacca Thu 06-Feb-20 20:35:41

This was such a nice thread; something that many of us had never considered before and it's brought some really good responses. What a shame you had to put a spanner in the works again with your barbed and unnecessarily sharp comments ananimous. <sigh>

Curlywhirly Thu 06-Feb-20 20:34:14

Ninarosa that made me laugh out loud! Your poor dad, he must have been lovely for you to feel comfortable enough to torment him like that!

Chewbacca Thu 06-Feb-20 20:30:25

You know when you're lying in bed, half asleep, and you suddenly hear somebody shout something rather rude in the dead of night, but when you get up to have a look at what's going on, there's no one there? That was me.

I'd always wondered who did it and why. Now I know who did it but I still don't know why.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 20:28:59

Accepted. No problem.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 20:21:09

No, it was my imp.

KatyK Thu 06-Feb-20 20:20:38

Did I attack someone? I apologise if I did.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 20:18:16

KatyK

Try to hold back and read the whole thread before you attack other members.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 20:17:36

I'm not being sarcastic, misery guts.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 20:16:24

MissAdventure
Pass.
Sarcasm being the lowest form of wit.

KatyK Thu 06-Feb-20 20:15:35

No I don't find that funny ananinmious I didn't read the post properly.

CanadianGran Thu 06-Feb-20 20:11:05

Oh, Ninarosa, that made me laugh. I do wonder if you were being an imp or really had an urge to upset your father!

I can't say I have any perverse impulses, but a friend once confessed to me she often had the urge/fantasy to swerve into incoming traffic while she was driving, causing a head on collision. I was a bit horrified to hear this, and almost wish she hadn't confessed this.

I do have urges to correct posture/language/manners, but I don't think it is really perverse. I do my best to hold back. Perhaps when I am older I can let the urges fly.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 20:05:22

Sorry. I'm unaware I said anywhere that I found it funny.
Perhaps you could point out where?

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 20:02:31

Sad you find that sort of thing funny

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 20:01:17

Well, obviously. The poor old soul obviously had no impulse control; her imp was definitely intrusive.

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:59:45

Not at all funny

ananimous Thu 06-Feb-20 19:58:59

KayK

I was referring to MissAdventure and her post - 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.

I just thought that was abusive.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:57:21

Only if M0nica comes up behind you!

BlueSapphire Thu 06-Feb-20 19:56:08

I too have the impulse to throw myself off high places, the last time was on Clifton Suspension Bridge. And I am terrified of heights. But I managed the Empire State Building, and the World Trade Centre (pre 9/11) in New York. Would not to up the Eiffel Tower though. I am due to go up the Shard soon - should I be worried?

KatyK Thu 06-Feb-20 19:55:14

No slapping children is not at all funny. These are only thoughts. Of course most people wouldn't physically do anything.

MissAdventure Thu 06-Feb-20 19:48:08

Yes. I expect all those children grew up traumatised and then had intrusive thoughts as adults.

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.