From personal experience, many people will treat conversation as a business event where sharing of facts is paramount. Certainly around my parents and their family, the tendency to railroad towards references, prepared stories and newspaper citations is overwhelming. Original criticism and self-reflection is too confrontational or vulnerable for them. Pauses and silences are considered "awkward" and to be avoided. Decorum is of high importance. This creates a stifling, repetitive conversational flow as they get to ruminate out loud on the same thoughts over and over, without really exploring anything.

Gradually, I've recognized the artifice that goes into these constraints and their denial of the human condition - especially since I can observe them become increasingly unprepared to perform this task as they get older and so lean on me more and more to drive the topics, while getting agitated and defensive if I deviate from the chosen railroad.