Brooklyn playwright's show 'Apoloholics' has nothing to apologize for * Brooklyn Paper

""There's a lot of insecurity," Corigliano said of the reasons people over-apologize. "There's that feeling of needing validation, not feeling you deserve to say and feel what you say and feel." Apologizing becomes a kind of attitude, where "sorry" can be spoken or expressed in other words, undermining statements and introducing uncertainty."

""There are other ways of saying it, like disguised apologizes. Sorry if I'm taking too long, sorry if I'm bothering you," Corigliano said. "Am I taking too long? Am I bothering you? There are indirect ways of apologizing. It interrupts the conversation.""

""The average person apologizes eight times a day," Corigliano said, with the count easily reaching 3,000 annually and eclipsing 200,000 in a lifetime. "I thought it was a good thing to apologize and not take up too much space.""

"Apoloholics: Based on True Stories of People Who Apologize Too Much" is a theatrical production exploring excessive apologizing through five performers in a self-help group setting. The play examines how insecurity and the need for validation drive people to apologize frequently, sometimes eight times daily. Over-apologizing takes multiple forms, including direct apologies and disguised versions like "sorry if I'm taking too long" that undermine statements and introduce uncertainty. The production reveals how this behavior pattern interrupts conversations and prevents people from claiming their rightful space. Playwright Mary Corigliano discovered that excessive apologizing, once considered polite, actually reflects deeper issues with self-worth and confidence.

Read at Brooklyn Paper