There is a difference between this type of behavior being accepted as normal, and it being a healthy and wise choice in dealing with social situations.

I see the issue stemming from a lack of emotional education inherent in our social educational system. we educate with facts but not skills. this deficit of appropriate response to social stimuli comes from a lack of mental and emotional clarity or mindfulness.

a lack of critical thinking skills, of learning how to make a sound decision, may lead to poor choices or seemingly irrational decision making. without correction, people become overwhelmed by todays social media world.

we introduce internet blogs and social media chat rooms with no thought as to social etiquette for younger users. what happens to the unmonitored precocious child who happens into an adult topic channel with the obligatory troll comments - what kind of a life-lesson are they receiving?

socially we are not taught how to appropriately handle emotions or put personal crises into perspective, to the point where our emotional reactions get so out of control they overwhelm us and spill over into real life, affecting friends, family, jobs, etc.

while this type of person (i have been there) makes us angry and frustrated, what they need is communication and compassion, a mini course in emotional organization. if businesses were smart, they would incorporate it into their human resources objectives as a necessary step in dealing with employees who are at risk.