Are you a covert stutterer? Find out in the quiz What's Your Stutter Personality

Published by Paige Smith on 17/02/2024

Beneath Your Stutter Podcast

The degree of how much you hide stuttering or how much you show, makes a huge impact on your overall emotional health and well-being.

Do you often find yourself hiding or concealing stuttering, often due to the fear of judgment and shame? Do you have the desire to conform and “fit in” and be a fluent speaker?

If you do, that’s totally OK!!! It’s a very natural desire and response to adapt to your environment.

But to the degree of how much you hide stuttering or how much you show, makes a huge impact on your overall mental/emotional health and well-being.

This behaviour ranges on a spectrum: From either being ‘covert’ — hiding your stutter. Or, being much more overt and ‘open’ about your stutter. Only when you have the awareness of your behavior, can you start shifting the needle on the spectrum.

What does it mean to be covert?

A covert stutterer is someone who is covering up or hiding the fact that they have a stutter. This is easier to pull off if the stutter is mild, or if it comes and goes.

In the extreme, a covert stutterer may deny that they stutter, though it might be obvious to others. For some though, they may want to hide it, but it might be not possible, if the stutter is moderate to severe and visible to the listener.

On the other side of the spectrum, an overt stutterer is someone who is honest with themselves and others that they stutter. They are open about stuttering, and it’s just something they do. There’s a level of acceptance within themselves.

In most individuals, covert/overt behaviour tends to show up on one side or the other. I’m sure it might be possible for an overt stutterer to have a moment of covert behaviour, depending on the situation. But for an individual who is covert, there’s less of an inclination to become overt in their behaviour.

To move the needle of covert to overt behaviour, this takes a process of growth and personal development.

Where does fluency fit in all of this?

It’s possible for individuals to have the appearance of fluency, but who are very covert in their behaviors to achieve it. And then it’s also possible for individuals who don’t have the visible signs of fluency — but their behavior is willingly overt, as they feel like they have nothing to hide about stuttering.

Since fluency is not an accurate gauge of an individuals’ behavior, I created a quiz that could measure this behavior, and of course make it fun at the same time! It’s called: 

The four personalities…

What we know as personality, can be also seen as specific behaviour. And this is the purpose of the quiz. To help you gain awareness of your own behaviour on a spectrum from covert to overt. To illustrate this spectrum of behaviour, I looked to nature. And I found it in the personalities of four sea creatures, to represent this range of behaviour: From the most covert behaviour of an Octopus, ranging through to the Crab and Turtle, all the way to the most overt, the Dolphin.

Octopus

The Octopus represents the most covert behavior. When an octopus finds itself in a threatening situation, it will out-smart and evade predators. And like an octopus…a covert stutterer is the ultimate escape artist and a master of disguise when passing for fluent.

Octopuses are also highly intelligent, and like the octopus…a covert stutterer is a walking thesaurus of synonyms, using their wits to get out of stressful speaking situations, like scanning for ‘danger’ words and swapping them out in a split second.

Octopuses are extremely sensitive animals, and like the octopus…a covert stutterer might pick up on subtle information. As they can be highly sensitive to other peoples’ non-verbal micro-expressions and judgment, they use near-perfect fluency to protect themselves from potential rejection.

At this level of covert behaviour, hiding, avoiding, and taking so much effort NOT to stutter, comes at a price for a covert stutterer: Exhausted from being 'on alert', may feel like missing out on life and lack deep authentic connection with others.

Crab

The Crab represents behavior that is also covert. The crab has the natural ability to move sideways, so when a crab finds itself in a threatening situation, it will “side step” quickly to find safety.

Like the crab, a covert stutterer knows how to quickly step-aside obstacles, escaping or avoiding difficult speaking situations that are uncomfortable.

Crab claws are very strong…and like the crab, a covert stutterer holds tightly to the idea of fluent speech — and works very hard to appear like a normal speaker like everybody else.

While the crab has an outer hard shell for protection, the body is soft on the inside. And like the crab, the covert stutterer puts on a "hard shell" and a show of strength to protect themselves from being vulnerable. To a covert stutterer, stuttering is seen as a sign of weakness and will do everything in their power to not show this side of themselves.

This level of behavior brings a lot of stress to a covert stutterer. It’s no wonder they might be in a crabby mood: Emotions are bottled up, hiding out from the world in their shell, and creating few connections with others.

Turtle

The Turtle represents behavior that can be covert and overt. The turtle sticks its head out of its shell, being overt, and at other times, retreats back into its shell, being covert. In a world that can be negative, harsh, and sometimes cruel, the turtle reminds the covert stutterer to put on a shell of protection.

Like the turtle, the covert stutterer has tough willpower and resolve that stays strong, moving forward with perseverance. The spirit of the turtle embodies the saying “slow and steady wins the race”. 

And like the turtle, the covert stutterer keeps going and stays true to their path, saying what they want to say, even if progress is slow. This type of covert stutterer can feel like a turtle, turned upside down with their stutter and vulnerability exposed.

With this level of behavior, a covert stutterer tends to retreat into their shell to avoid potential pain from people and speaking situations. But the armor that keeps them safe, also keeps them in a prison of self-isolation. Also: Avoiding and feeling stuck, may feel resentment towards others and a lack of connection with others.

Dolphin

The Dolphin represents behavior that is on the other side of the spectrum — overt. Dolphins always travel with other dolphins, as they’re very social animals, and they communicate with squeaks, whistles and clicks. They also have a distinct curved mouth, which gives them a permanent “smile.”

Like the dolphin, a person who is open about their stutter is friendly with good communication skills. Dolphins are also very intelligent…and like a dolphin, those who’re open about their stutter, tend to love reading books and learning new things everyday.

Dolphins are also very sensitive to their surroundings and can sense danger from miles away. They're also altruistic animals, known to help those that are injured, including humans.

Like the dolphin, a person who is open about their stutter can be sensitive to their surroundings, having empathy for others. But even with this level of overt behavior, a person who’s open, might still find themselves holding back in other areas of life: A person might still find it challenging going on job interviews or getting a promotion. Or maybe not confident in asking for what they really want and setting boundaries.

You have the power to heal and recover

No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum. You have the ability to move from covert to overt, if that is your goal.

Knowing that the Octopus and Crab are symbols for healing and renewal, as they possess the power of regeneration. An octopus may lose a limb, but has the amazing power to regrow their tentacles. Like the octopus, you have the ability to recover from stuttering. Crabs also shed their shells when they grow and they can also regrow a claw or leg if lost. Like the crab, you also have the ability to adjust and handle any situation, no matter how challenging it may be.

The Turtle is a powerful symbol of protection, longevity, endurance and the power to heal. The turtle is also a symbol of being home within itself, as everything you are, need, and bring to the world is inside you, not externally, as you carry it with you.

The Dolphin is a symbol of rebirth and renewal, with energy to help you let go, breath and release. You can’t swim life’s waters and embrace true joy if your arms are filled with bad memories and feelings from the past. Like the dolphin, you can learn to navigate those waves and let go of what might be holding you back.

My personal journey

So, now that we’ve covered all 4 personalities and behaviours, you might be interested to learn where I fit on this spectrum.

For most of my life, my behaviour was that of an Octopus.I was very covert about my stutter. And everyday my goal was hiding it from others, and to be honest, even from myself. Everyday I tried so hard not to stutter, so that I would not be a stutterer. But in my struggle, I still stuttered.

There were also parts of me like the Crab, in that I tried my best in getting myself out of speaking situations that were uncomfortable. And I remember myself being angry and in a crabby mood…a lot!

There have been other times when I was like the Turtle. Like when I would get up the nerve to face a challenging speaking situation. But if I stuttered a lot more than I wanted to…I’d quickly retreat into my shell of protection…and isolation.

Now, I feel like I’ve progressed to being more of a Dolphin, finding greater confidence within myself and enjoyment in speaking.

It’s been a gradual process, a journey of many ups and downs to where I’m now. I’ve discovered that the more I grew through personal development. That this has had a positive effect on reducing my stutter, so that I could experience speaking with greater ease and confidence in my speech. So now, when stuttering does happen, I don’t have the automatic compulsive need to hide it and stuttering doesn’t derail me like it used to.

Questions for self-awareness

So whether you are an Octopus, Crab, Turtle or Dolphin, the quiz What’s Your Stutter Personality is also measuring something else. It’s not just the behaviour, but about the level of attention and energy you put into each of these behaviours.

Ask yourself…How much time and energy do you think you spend per day on hiding your stutter? How do you think this impacts the quality of your life on a daily basis?

Answers to these questions help you decide if you want things to stay as is, or to make a different choice in behaviors.

I want to be clear that these personalities and behaviours are neither good nor bad. They just are, like in nature. You would not fault a Crab for being a Crab. Or a Turtle for being a Turtle. And a Dolphin is no better than an Octopus.

But to the degree of how much you hide stuttering or how much you show, makes a huge impact on your overall mental health and well-being. Your behaviour affects the level of energy you have available to live your life everyday.