Inner speech, or self-talk, can be defined as the internal narrative that a person keeps about himself. This is the inner voice of a person and almost everyone talks to himself. It is not uncommon for people to talk to themselves internally and have a dialogue or internal monologue going on in their head all the time 6 .
Inner speech can cover everything from the instructions a person gives to himself while performing a task, to random observations about the situation or people around him, to the person's observation and thoughts about himself. Inner speech has a serious effect on a person.
Talking to himself has a much greater effect on the person himself, his environment and the way he sees the world than is realized. Inner speech is a voice that blends a person's conscious thoughts with his unconscious beliefs.
Although some people are not even aware that they are talking to themselves, everyone generally has an inner dialogue. This voice accompanies a person from the moment they wake up until they fall asleep and helps them make decisions, digest experiences, and ask questions.
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Inner speech is very important for people because it determines many important points such as how a person feels, what they do, how they cope with pain, what they think about themselves. While inner speech can be supportive and motivating, it can also be a voice that lowers self-confidence and makes a person feel inadequate and unsuccessful.
Being aware of what these voices, which can develop consciously or unconsciously, say and what effects they have is an important skill for people.
Inner speech is divided into two categories: positive and negative inner speech. People's inner speech often manifests itself as negative inner speech. When a person can turn their negative inner speech into positive inner speech, their psychological well-being and attitude towards life change for the better.
Positive self-talk is when a person shows compassion to themselves, understands their own life and personality, and treats themselves well in their self-talk. Positive self-talk has nothing to do with narcissism or convincing themselves of things that don't exist. Positive self-talk is all about treating themselves well .
Examples of positive self-talk include, “I have done this before and I can do it again,” “I am talented at this and can overcome challenges,” “Everything will be fine,” and “I deserve to be happy.”
The human brain is wired to remember negative experiences more than positive ones, which is why people often remember experiences where they were unsuccessful more often. Negative self-talk is when a person remembers experiences where they were unsuccessful and talks to themselves in a negative and destructive way .
Examples of negative self-talk include sentences like, “You are incompetent and you won’t be able to do this either.”, “Nothing will ever get better.”, “I will never be successful.”
Talking to oneself is a very natural process and there are very few people who do not experience internal dialogue. This behavior is considered quite healthy, with some exceptions. Talking to oneself serves many purposes such as regulating one's emotions, making plans and improving one's performance.