The centrality of communicating in human life means that communication difficulties are experienced at a deeply personal level and have significant implications for identity. Intervention methods may interact positively or negatively with these experiences. Method: This paper explores this intersection in the case of stuttering, suggesting that some intervention styles may dovetail unhelpfully with the “mainstream” prizing of normalcy. In particular, most “western” societies offer a performance-oriented milieu which prizes efficiency, immediacy and competitiveness, diverting energy from the equally important work of understanding and integrating difference.