Sociology

I've been noticing this very specific genus of female as I get older. Some characteristics they seem to have in common:

1) They are older, usually from early- to mid-forties.

2) They tend to tell long, self-referential stories, the tone of which is almost always self-pitying or self-congratulatory. If self-pitying, there is an unspoken invitation to regard them as terribly admirable or courageous for overcoming their almost unendurable difficulties. If self-congratulatory, there is a similarly fake air of modesty.

3) They reference their husband and/or children with a frequency that borders on compulsion-- like, say about once per sentence.

4) Any perceived criticism or hostility is met with exaggerated, wide-eyed incredulity. (They can't understand why you're attacking them so ferociously!)

5) They are usually found in adult-education or therapy groups, and there never seems to be more than one at a time in that group.

6) Any of the following: sighing before starting a sentence, talking too loudly, harsh or faked laughter at things that are mildly (or not at all) amusing, emotional pandering to authority figures, self-deprecation taken to an infuriating degree.

This type of person tends to scare me-- or if not the woman herself, then the unmistakable look in her eyes: that of frantic imprisonment, of forced good cheer. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed this.