Imagine that outside the window you hear the annoying screams of hooligans, or the March cry of a cat, or the roar of a car. You will experience a lot of negative emotions, but think briefly: “cat”, “car”, “bullies”. Although if you say your thoughts out loud, they will sound differently. For example, like this: “Again these vile punks with their screams and alcohol, which are already in my throat.” This is how a person’s internal and external speech works. The inner voice is short, it does not express emotions, which is why they remain inside the person and continue to put pressure on him. But this is not all that you need to know about inner speech.
Is it normal to talk to yourself?
Scientists have been studying the cause of self-talk for a long time. In the 1880s, researchers were especially interested in why people talk to themselves and for what purpose. Self-talk is considered to be the verbal expression of an internal position or belief, that is, it expresses inner feelings, nonverbal thoughts, and intuitions about a situation through speech. A person intends to direct his speech towards himself.
Although children often talk to themselves, this should not be a cause for concern for parents. It is a way to develop language, stay stimulated during a task, and improve performance on tasks. The habit of talking to oneself can continue into adulthood and is not a problem.
Among the mentally ill
Since the mentally ill are normal people like you and me, they want to communicate with living people who would listen to them. When a psycho talks to himself, he is actually usually talking to imaginary friends.
Like a PC hare! Yeah. Well, there are still options: for example, they turn to the crowd, and they don’t give a damn whether they listen to them. Like Sasha Rotor. Damn, I couldn’t give a more famous example. The rotor is the most striking example I know of. Yes Yes. Saltovsky cattle are such Saltovsky cattle. Okay, here we are... We? Wait..OH SHI~~
| [ + ] Self-dialogue is an official discipline of the Special Olympics. For more information, visit the Special Olympics portal | |||||||||||||||||
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Is it normal to talk to yourself?
Talking to yourself can have several benefits. It does not cause significant health risks unless the person has other symptoms of a mental disorder, such as hallucinations. When performing a task with a set of instructions, self-talk can improve task control, concentration, and performance. It can also improve problem solving skills.
A 2012 study examined how self-talk affects visual search tasks. The findings suggest that talking to yourself when searching for a specific item, such as a lost item of clothing or a set of keys, can help you find it faster. Research also shows that self-talk while exercising can be beneficial, depending on how the person talks to themselves and what they say. For example, self-talk in a motivational or educational way can improve performance. However, while negative self-talk can increase motivation in sports, it cannot improve performance.
Types of self-talk
There are three categories of self-talk that differ depending on the tone of voice. These include:
- Positive self-talk
: Encourages and strengthens a person's positive beliefs. Positive self-talk can reduce anxiety and improve concentration and focus. - Negative self-talk
: Typically involves critical and discouraging dialogue. - Neutral self-talk
: This type of self-talk is neither positive nor negative. People may use it to instruct themselves rather than to reinforce or encourage certain beliefs or emotions.
Self-talk can be open or hidden. Open conversation is independent speech that can be heard by other people. Covert conversation is internal speech that no one can hear.
Inner speech: what is it?
Every person is endowed with an inner voice, only in psychology it is called inner speech. It arises in the process of thinking and helps to perform mental operations in the mind. Remember how you count or read something, listen to someone or remember something. I’m writing this article now, and every letter of the text, every word sounds in my head. This is how inner speech works.
Why do you need inner speech?
- logical processing of sensory data;
- awareness and understanding of received or reproduced information;
- briefing during the activity;
- self-esteem and self-analysis of actions, actions, experiences;
- selection, analysis, synthesis, memorization of information;
- better concentration on the problem, task.
Inner speech is a preparatory stage. Internal assessment allows you to understand whether it is worth translating internal speech into written or spoken language. Surely you have had similar “rehearsals” of speech. Before you said anything, you spoke it out, and sometimes played out your opponent’s different answers.
Inner speech develops gradually. Thus, it is difficult for preschoolers and primary schoolchildren to read “to themselves” (not out loud). They move on to inner speech gradually, and first read out loud or in a half-whisper. Inner speech begins to develop towards the end of the child's first year of life. It comes out of the self-centered speech that is characteristic of children during play.
Why do people talk to themselves?
There are several reasons why a person may talk to themselves, including:
Emotion regulation
Self-talk can regulate and process emotions. For example, if a person talks about being nervous or angry, this may help:
- direct your attention to reducing anger
- control your emotions
- think about how to respond to your feelings at this moment
Reduced anxiety
A 2014 study found that people with anxiety, including social anxiety, can benefit from self-talk. Scientists have found that people who refer to themselves in the third person can distance themselves from their anxious feelings and process, regulate, and analyze those emotions to reduce anxiety. Self-talk can also reduce anxiety after stressful events.
Without pathologies: why is it observed in healthy people
A healthy person may talk to himself for several reasons. And all of them are not associated with any disorders. Rather, they are due to the state of the psyche.
Do you want to know why this happens?
Let's look at the reasons in the table:
| Severe stress | The experienced situation can affect the state of the psyche in this way. But this “influence” is temporary and everything will pass after some time. But only when the body recovers and copes with the consequences of a stressful situation. |
| Low concentration | If you have problems with memory and attention, then you can speak out loud all the time. In this way, the human brain better assimilates information, remembers data, and analyzes it. |
| Feature of thinking | A woman is a special creature, it’s hard to disagree with that, right? A woman's thinking is like a force of nature. It is not linear, it resembles a puzzle that is put together into one picture from many disparate parts. The reasons for this behavior lie in the peculiarities of thinking. In women it does not differ in consistency. In order to “put all the pieces of the puzzle” together, sometimes you have to speak out loud, in the absence of your interlocutor. |
| Loneliness | Every person has a need for communication, and it is irresistible, no matter how hard a person tries to avoid other people, nature cannot be deceived. Lack of communication gives rise to self-doubt, isolation, and irritation. Coping with internal loneliness is difficult, and it can “develop” into depression. |
| The situation | If a person speaks out loud, then the situation in which he finds himself is to blame. When keys or important documents are lost, a monologue begins, it helps to restore the chronology of events. The person begins to speak, pronounces certain points and remembers actions that he performed several hours or days ago. |
| Event Analysis | Imaginary conversations help the psyche analyze the situation that happened, consider it “from several sides” and draw conclusions. This is a normal reaction of the body and you should not attach sacred meanings to such behavior. |
It is difficult to change the current circumstances, but if a person wants to get rid of this habit, considering it indecent or “bad,” then he should consult a psychologist.
How to stop talking to yourself
If self-talk is interfering with your life, there are ways to change the behavior. Journaling your self-talk can help you put your thoughts on paper, organize your thought processes, and cope with stress and anxiety. Keeping a journal can help you identify everyday situations that cause people to talk to themselves and better understand what might trigger it in the future. The practice of changing self-talk to internal thoughts when they arise can reduce self-talk.
Split personality
Split personality is a disease that can manifest itself as a result of mental trauma received in childhood. Physical or sexual stress affects the behavior of an already matured person. It begins to seem to him that two entities live in him, and different ones. By the way, there may be more than two. In this state, he not only feels depressed, but may also attempt to harm himself.
When to ask for help
People may find that self-talk affects their mental health if they are negative and self-critical when talking to themselves. In such situations, you need to talk to a mental health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist) to find ways to improve your self-esteem and adjust your self-talk to focus on being positive and encouraging.
Schizophrenia
If talking to yourself is part of a hallucination, you should seek help from a psychiatrist. Self-talk and hallucinations may indicate a mental illness such as schizophrenia. A person with schizophrenia may have changes in their behavior and thoughts, such as hallucinations or delusions. Hallucinations cause you to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel things that are not part of the world around you and are only present in your mind. Hearing and reacting to voices is a common hallucination in schizophrenia. These voices and sensations seem real to the person experiencing them. Doctors say the brain responds to these voices in the same way as if they were talking to a real person. People with schizophrenia may also withdraw from the world, losing interest in everyday interactions with friends and family and finding it difficult to express emotions.
The benefits and harms of thinking out loud
Many people who are inclined to monologue are very suggestible. They are easily persuaded to take actions that are harmful to him. This is used by scammers, sectarians and those who conduct auto training. During auto-trainings, people say certain phrases out loud.
This kind of repetition can be helpful. If you say for a long time: “I am healthy!”, then after a while you can feel an improvement in your health.
Internal conversations save you from loneliness. They are also useful for those whose memory is deteriorating. For example, speaking out loud actions is very useful (turned off the iron, turned off the water.) This makes it possible to reduce anxiety.
Speaking out feelings, emotions, and thoughts helps reduce internal tension. The benefits of internal conversations, for example, include:
- Motivation (“Get ready! Take it and do it!”);
- Getting rid of anxieties, phobias, fears;
- Improved mood, increased self-esteem;
- Self-control, increased organization.
