Is Barking an acceptable defense mechanisim?

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LOL okay, I just posted a response to someone's post on the work-related topics board about getting caught doing OCD or stimming at work, which I have like many times, and gotten made fun of because of that, naturally, but then how I dealt with getting picked on for it was by developing the aberrant habit of barking and growling at people. Not sure if anyone else has picked up this weird habit, does anyone else bark, snarl, make monkey screams, or any other animal noises as a knee-jerk response to stress or frustration? I did it to repel people, and it worked, sort of. But of course I got labeled as crazy, however that also made them back away from me, which is what I wanted them to do, so anyway, is it worth it? Maybe. Does anyone else do this? I would like to know.

I imagine that it's much better than cursing.

I used to hiss.

I know someone who also tried barking..not helpful in the long term...

I used to hiss and growl. Sometimes made this screaming noise and because I have great lungs, it was pretty darned loud and I sounded, according to some, inhuman .
I had to stop pretty soon though. My mom made sure I did. She was quite upset with me and said that I was not an animal and therefor should not act like one. I suppose I agree with that. Some social rules simply have to be obeyed, because otherwise, who knows what might happen? If you were to start growling at people who intimidate you, they might atttack you because you are now freaking them out. That too is an understandable defense mechanism, fight or flight.

HAHAHA... *Turns into cat

I growl when I'm annoyed or frustrated. I started doing it when I was like 4 or 5, and I still do it to this day. I don't growl at other people, though.

Last edited by FishStickNick on 25 Apr 2012, 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

I strongly suggest you stop with the really weird behavior in public. If you don't you will probably lose your job, and you might even be carted off for an in patient stay for a mental evaluation.

How about just telling people that you work better when left alone.? Or just tell them that you need to be alone for a while. Or if someone is kind of getting in your face, just tell them to back off. But for your own sake ditch the really weird stuff, and find some type of inoffensive, and not real obvious stim, too.

My 6yr old daughter does this. It's a trait which we are hoping to educate out of her. Even at her age, it's not really an acceptable way to behave. For an adult, I'd say definitely not, unless they have severe communication difficulties or a learning disability. If you've been told it's unacceptable and you're able train yourself not to do it, then you have to.

I remember barking some in fourth and/or fifth grade.

growling's a bit more acceptable than barking.
For that matter barking may be MORE unaccepted than mild swearing.
At work it'd be better to just firmly tell others that you're very busy and need to concentrate without distractions for a while. When they come back after a while you could say the same again . After a few times they'll probably give up.

i do gnarl and hiss when sensory issues come up when my defence is down (anxiety attack or just unprepared), but it is not socially accepted to do so, so i generally try and prevent making those sounds, just as i try to prevent walking hunched

GRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrr Who Who Let the Dogs Out Who Who,
Wiggle Wiggle, Do the Wiggle man,
I got the rhythm & you got no style,
My wallet is more bulky with dough,
Spend ye pocket money, On them girlsssssssss,
While they say “Talk to my hand, because my Face Ain't Listening”,
Before she says lets go, you come,
Wooooo Back up before I implode, my bite is worse than my growl...

Me too, sometimes I snarl and growl but not at people. I like barking, when I hear a dog barking I want to do it too, but I contain myself. I barked to people once, because they were afraid of a german shepherd and I wanted to make a joke, and they screamed because they thought the dog was behind them

Wow i'm glad i asked this question, it seems that its more of a common behavior than i thought. I appreciate everyones opinions.
We had this poodle when i was little, her name was Charlie, and originally it was her bark i was imitating. But then much later on we had a pomeranian, and his bark was more scratchy and yappy, and he liked me to bark at him as a play-game. So that developed into a habit too.
Now we have a lovely, older cat, but no dog. This cat has a peculiar grumbing sound but doesn't actually meow, and we grumble at eachother all day. She loves it and is quite happy. I only make that sound for her, though.

One time when I was walking down the road around my house there were these dogs that always barked at me when I walked by, typically it was just the dogs out not the people who lived there. So anyways they run up to the fence start barking so I turned to face them and let out the most crazy vicious barking I could at the dogs........until I noticed the people on the porch doing this .

Fun times.

Wow, I thought I was alone when it came to growling. I used to do it all the time. Now it's only when playing with the dog
I have always made animal noises, some, i've been told, are shockingly realistic!
I once convinced someone there was a real goose in the other room! lol