Inner speech, or why we talk to ourselves

What is inner speech

Inner speech is, in psychology, a person’s dialogue with himself, reasoning “to himself.” This is speech addressed inside the personality itself, an appeal to oneself. It helps to analyze, process, interpret the feelings and emotions of the individual. We turn to ourselves when we solve some problems, remember or imagine something, make plans, dream, fantasize.

Most people know this as mentally constructing dialogues or acting out certain situations. With the help of reasoning, the individual comes to awareness and understanding of external phenomena. According to the theory of psychologist B.F. Baev, reasoning permeates all cognitive processes: sensation, perception, observation, memorization, recollection, attention, imagination, and others.

This is a means of self-regulation, self-education, introspection, self-development. It’s not for nothing that psychologists advise speaking out a problematic situation out loud. The information spoken to oneself is incomplete and generalized (we’ll talk more about this in the paragraph “Features of inner speech”). Speaking out loud or writing down information helps to better understand what is happening, to see the overall picture, structure, details, cause-and-effect relationships.

Speaking about internal speech, it is impossible not to highlight the problem of external speech, because external and internal speech are two interrelated elements. Domestic psychologist L.S. Vygotsky viewed reasoning within a person as a connecting element between the transition of thoughts into words and vice versa.

The concept of inner speech

To be honest, this is a poorly studied phenomenon , necessary for mental operations and is a confirmation of the presence of consciousness in a person.

Roughly speaking, this is an inaudible monologue of our brain in response to some stimuli.

The latter are:

• experienced emotions. The more intense our reaction, the more confused the internal monologue can be;
• information that requires analytical analysis with subsequent conclusions;
• physiological needs;
• contacts with the outside world.

But don’t confuse inner speech with the voices heard by some people with mental disorders. Internal monologue is a natural and necessary manifestation of our brain activity.

What are its features?

Unlike speaking out loud, especially during dialogue, internal monologue is silent and almost never consists of long and coordinated sentences . Most often, it includes fragmentary phrases that reflect the essence of some phenomena or tasks being considered.

The reasoning itself is brief and fragmentary , because in addition to thinking about solutions for the most important projects for the individual, his brain simultaneously processes other data that is not related to the currently “disturbing” situation.

If it were possible to voice internal speech out loud, the final product would consist of fragmentary judgments, reactions to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli, and would more closely resemble the speech of a mentally ill person.

Internal dialogue is unlike any form of conversation familiar to our ears. His task is to plan and regulate our behavior , but in a format of commands and tasks that only we can understand.

At the same time, there are no “subjects” in the statements, because goals are expressed in images of upcoming actions. In this way, the preparatory work for successful communication with the outside world takes place.

Inner speech:

1. Transient . If we spoke at the same speed as we think, then hardly anyone would be able to understand the essence of what was being said. It’s not for nothing that they say that thought is fast and instantly transports you to any distance.
2. It is fragmentary in nature . Therefore, without the skills to communicate with others, it is very difficult to convey your thoughts to your interlocutor so that he understands the essence of what he hears.
3. The phonetic side of the internal monologue is scarce.
4. What is important is the essence of what is being said, not what it means. It’s good to consider how this works using the example of monologues spoken out loud by repair specialists, for example, cars. With a set of 5-7 phrases, which are essentially rude and even obscene statements, people manage to clearly and to the point talk about the problem. And even determine the most effective ways to achieve a task.

Read about the types of human memory and their purpose here.

Vygodsky's opinion

The scientist has repeatedly said that our internal monologue is a preparatory process of the psyche for human communication with the outside world.

As a result of manipulations hidden from prying eyes inside our brain, essentially nerve impulses flowing from neuron to neuron, the received information is processed and our response to it is prepared.

In this case, an answer should be understood not only as subsequent statements, but also as an opinion formed about something, an attitude towards specific things.

The transformation of what is generated silently into what is heard is not only vocalization , but in essence is the process of transforming predicative and idiomatic forms of “utterances” into syntactically dissected expressions understandable to others.

When speaking out loud, we put thoughts into words, as if giving them material form.

Internal monologues occur according to the opposite principle, as if evaporating the received information to the state of thoughts.

But the latter are not a completely ethereal substance , since they are saturated with words, albeit transformed into some kind of something consisting of pure meanings.

When a person feels healthy, his internal monologue is always dynamic, filled with images, some of which may not have any direct relation to the current moment.

The structure of thought has special structures and its transformation into words is associated with a number of difficulties. It is not replete with formulations that most people can understand.

Therefore, when telling a story about a beautiful bird seen in a window, I do not keep in mind several separate semantic categories , each of which is tied to the beauty of the feathers, the graceful silhouette of the bird, or, for example, the bright color of its beak.

I see it immediately in one image, but I tell others about it in separate sentences, built according to the rules adopted in the Russian language. The transition of thoughts into words is well explained by the example of a cloud resolved by pouring rain.

But the process of transforming images into speech is more complex, since sometimes the meanings of words do not coincide with their essence.

And it is advisable to arrange them in a certain order and quickly enough if there is a need to hold the interlocutor’s attention or achieve some desired action from him.

Internal and external speech

The external one is directed to the outside world, the internal one is directed towards the personality itself. However, this is not the only difference.

How does the first type differ from the second:

• external involves a person in social interaction, the second type is recognized by the person himself, is reliably protected from other people, can only be controlled by the one to whom it belongs;
• external codes are accessible to others, codes of the second type of communication are understandable only to its owner.

Thoughts are transformed into words and vice versa. External speech can be oral and written. Each type has its own psychological characteristics and subtypes. Let's take a closer look.

Oral

The most ancient type. Reproduced using sounds and perceived by hearing. Oral speech simplifies interaction as it allows the use of verbal and non-verbal means of communication. As a rule, communication is related to a specific situation, conditions, and subject of discussion. Therefore, people can omit individual words and replace them with gestures. Oral interaction allows you to understand each other perfectly.

The oral type of communication comes in two forms: dialogical and monologue. Let's look at each form in more detail.

Dialogue form

Involves interaction between two or more people. Each participant takes turns listening to others and speaking himself, that is, he acts either as an active person or as a passive person. An alternative name for this type is supported. Participants support each other, listen, and change roles.

The specificity of this type is direct personal interaction, the participants see and hear each other. Therefore, they can adjust the presentation of information using tone, voice timbre, intonation, speed, facial expressions, and gestures. The speaking participant also sees the reactions of other people, due to which he can correct his reasoning, for example, if he notices that his speech is boring. In general, in this case, verbal communication is combined with nonverbal communication.

Monologue form

It involves the influence of one person on another (others), that is, one speaks and the others listen. This is a more complex type. Although the active participant sees the reactions of passive listeners, he must think through the entire text of the speech in advance. The speaker must have well-developed psychological observation, speech culture, and active thinking. A monologue is also more difficult for listeners. They have to concentrate for a long time and follow the logic of the presentation. The monologue type, in terms of the specificity of perception, is closer to written reasoning.

Written

This type develops on the basis of oral communication. Expressed through writing symbols and perceived by sight. This is a complex type for both the person presenting the information and the person receiving it. The specificity of written communication is that it allows you to communicate at a distance, at different times. The difficulty is that the one who writes down his thoughts cannot know exactly the characteristics of the reader in advance. He cannot use non-verbal means of communication. Like oral communication, written communication can be dialogical (for example, communication on a social network) and monological (for example, writing a book).

External speech

This type of speech includes oral - dialogical and monologue speech, as well as written speech:

• Oral speech. This speech is used directly for communication and is sound speech. From a historical point of view, this is the very first form of speech, which arose much earlier than writing. Pronounced sounds are its material form. They arise as a result of the complex activity of the human pronunciation organs. This speech has rich intonation capabilities. Logical stress, clarity of pronunciation, the presence or absence of pauses play a big role in oral speech. Its perception can be enhanced by the facial expressions and gestures of the speaking person expressing his emotional state.

As a rule, oral speech can manifest itself in the form of dialogue and monologue. Dialogue is direct communication between two or more people and is supported by the interlocutors. Conversation is a type of dialogical communication and has a thematic focus.

Monologue speech is a coherent presentation of a system of thoughts by one person. We don’t interrupt the monologue. This speech is coherent, contextual and, compared to dialogic speech, can significantly change the semantic aspect;

• Written speech. This is a type of monologue speech, only expanded.

Written speech presupposes the absence of feedback from the interlocutor and does not have any additional means of influencing the person to whom it is addressed.

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Inner speech and its features

It can be compared to a specific individual code. The person himself understands it perfectly, but it is a set of individual words, concepts, sounds, letters, images, sensations, conventions that are incomprehensible and inaccessible to other people. Psychologists call this a mental code.

Psychological features of inner speech:

1. Condensation. As a rule, there is only one main member of the sentence: the subject or predicate. Remember what thought arises when we see a cat on the street: “Cat!” At the same time, we have time to think and realize that she is walking or eating something, what color she is, etc.
2. Silence. However, verbalization depends on the characteristics of the articulatory apparatus of a particular person. Sometimes this manifests itself as muttering, whispering, “thinking out loud,” or even full-on loud dialogue with oneself.
3. Semantics prevails over phonetics. As a rule, vowel sounds are dropped (they carry less load).
4. Pronoun. In our thoughts, we consider an object in specific conditions, point out its properties, location, etc. Example: “Yesterday I tried to call him three times, he didn’t pick up. Why? Maybe it’s because of the way I answered him at our last meeting?”
5. Reflected in kinesthetic, auditory and visual images. Surely you have noticed that you can see, hear and even feel what we think about.

Despite the soundlessness of thoughts, the speech apparatus is always involved in their formation and development. Pronunciation and elaboration of words are always preserved. This is not visible to the naked eye, but a special technique can record the movements of the tongue and lips. In people with a mobile speech apparatus, movements can be seen with the naked eye. In addition, movement activity is higher under the following conditions:

• solving a difficult problem;
• difficulties during information analysis;
• stress, tension, fatigue, exhaustion;
• searching for new approaches to solving the problem;
• emotional overexcitation;
• information overload, excess of images, ideas and other things.

At such moments, conversations with oneself become more noticeable and louder. Example: “Yeah, well, well, well, I need to think about it. I did this, then that, and this is what happened. And if so? No, it doesn't work. And so? Not the same again."

When solving simple problems, as you hone certain skills through exercises, conversations “to yourself” become narrower, and the activity of the speech apparatus decreases. Again, this is clearly visible in everyday life, especially in the workplace. When learning new instructions, many people say their actions out loud or silently. The more often they repeat this, the less they need to say it.

Inner speech according to Vygotsky

Many psychology “gurus” have worked and are still working on the problems of the relationship between mental activity and verbal communication.

L. Vygotsky established that words play a significant role in the formation of mental operations and mental processes of human subjects.

Thanks to experiments conducted by L. Vygotsky, it was possible to discover in younger preschool children the presence of a form of communication incomprehensible to adults in their environment, which later became known as egocentric speech or “communication for oneself.” According to L. Vygotsky, egocentric communication is the carrier of the emerging thinking processes of children. During this period, the mental activity of the little ones is just entering the path of interiorization. He proved that egocentric communication is not just a sound accompaniment of the internal thought process that accompanies the movement of thoughts.

Egocentric thinking, according to Vygotsky, is the only form of existence (formation) of children’s thoughts, and other, parallel, mental thinking in children at this stage simply does not exist. Only after passing through the stage of egocentric communication, thought processes during internalization and subsequent restructuring will gradually transform into mental operations, transforming into internal communication. Therefore, egocentric inner speech in psychology is a communication tool necessary for regulating and controlling the practical activities of children. That is, this is communication addressed to oneself.

It is possible to determine the following features of internal speech, in addition to those listed above: reduction of phonetic aspects (the phonetic side of communication is reduced, words are unraveled according to the intention of the speaker to pronounce them) and the prevalence of the semantic load of words over their designation. Verbal meanings are much broader and more dynamic than their meanings. They reveal different rules of unification and integration than verbal meanings. This is precisely what can explain the difficulty of expressing thoughts in speech for the environment, in sound communication.

Consequently, in children, the external manifestation of speech is formed from a word to several, from a phrase to a combination of phrases, then to a coherent communication consisting of a number of sentences. Internal communication is formed in a different course. The baby begins to “pronounce” whole sentences, and then moves on to comprehend individual semantic elements, dividing the whole thought into several verbal meanings.

Mechanism of development of inner speech

In psychology, there is still no unified theory about how the formation of inner speech occurs. It is generally accepted that this begins in childhood; the child’s inner speech is formed under the influence of adults. The contradiction and problem of the phenomenon is as follows: some authors believe that it develops from the external. Others are sure that it develops along with the external one. Let's look at two popular theories.

According to Vygotsky

According to L.S. Vygotsky, conversation within the personality develops from the child’s external speech, directed at himself (egocentric). Those people who have children have probably seen that while playing, a young child often talks to himself. Psychologists call this egocentric speech.

In what period is a child’s inner speech formed: 3–5 years. As the child grows up, conversations with oneself go deeper and deeper and turn into conversations “to oneself.” Usually the transition is completed by the beginning of schooling, that is, by 6–7 years. Further development occurs as a result of mastering writing.

According to Blonsky

P.P. Blonsky believes that the internal type of communication develops along with the external one. Already in the first year of life, the child silently repeats the words with which adults address him. Further development occurs along with the development of external communication.

What is external speech?

This is all the ethereal things that our lips spew into space to attract the attention of another individual or to express our own emotions that overwhelm the indignant mind.

That is, unfortunately, an obscene speech that is periodically or systematically heard here and there is also external speech.

Jokes aside, this is the ability we acquired in the process of evolution using sound signals through the work of the muscles of the mouth, tongue and a couple of internal organs in order to familiarize someone with it.

Kinds

The scientific understanding of external speech includes two classifications:

1. Oral speech. Figuratively speaking, this is the process of pronouncing sounds in a certain sequence, thanks to which others understand to one degree or another what we are telling them.
   We do not know how to speak until we are born, but from birth we are predisposed to master this skill.

   However, in the presence of certain diseases, we find ourselves unable to convey aloud coherent and auditorily recognizable information to others.

2. Written speech. The presentation of thoughts through the drawing of signs and symbols also refers to external speech, although with this method of transmitting data, the reader’s response occurs with some delay. Well, at least this was the case before the advent of open access to the Internet, which allows you to communicate without opening your mouth and seeing an almost instant reaction to written statements.

Oral speech can proceed:

1. In the form of a dialogue: at the time of uttering some information, a person has one or more interlocutors, listeners, whom he keeps in his field of vision.
2. In the form of a monologue: the issued words are addressed not to the subject, but to space, to oneself, to a certain community, but to no one in particular.
   It should be noted here that overhearing such a speech does not give it the status of a dialogue, since the person who initially spoke the reasoning did not seek to communicate with anyone other than himself.

Inner speech: what is it for?

Inner speech is needed to prepare external communication (written or oral). We first think through what we want to say, select the best words, and then speak out. It is worth noting that mental self-talk constantly sounds inside any person. For some it is a “swarm of thoughts”, for others it is a structured analysis of situations or simply pleasant memories or fantasies. In some people the verbalization of thoughts is more pronounced, in others it is weaker. It depends on the specifics of character and temperament, the characteristics of the work.

So, why does a person need inner speech:

• processing, analysis, awareness, generalization, selection, understanding of the information received;
• self-regulation of activities, actions, words;
• self-hypnosis, self-motivation;
• self-esteem of words and actions.

Let's pay special attention to the last point. Reasoning within oneself forms a person’s self-esteem. This happens according to the following scheme: self-talk, opinion about oneself, actions, self-esteem. Remember how often we think one thing and say another, we hide our true thoughts and intentions.

Self-talk requires special attention; it determines thinking. What kind of thinking do you have: negative or positive? What do you most often think about yourself: bad or good? Do you often mentally scold yourself, or do you praise and support yourself more often?

The content and state of internal dialogue is a true indicator of a person’s psychological health. She also acts as a psychotherapist. It is important to ensure that your thoughts have a positive, rather than destructive, impact on your personality, self-esteem, and self-awareness.

Approaches to defining the concept of inner speech

Inner speech is a phenomenon that is currently considered insufficiently studied and developed.
This is usually associated with the lack of a generally accepted definition of inner speech. In modern linguistics, there are several developed approaches to defining the concept of inner speech, the main interpretations of which are the following concepts:

• internal speech is the processes of planning and control of human speech actions occurring “in the mind”; from this point of view, inner speech is close in meaning to thinking and can be presented as one of the forms of realization of thinking;
• internal speech is pronunciation that occurs silently (“to oneself”), occurs in certain circumstances (usually when there are difficulties in making decisions) and performs the functions of planning and controlling speech actions; to confirm the reliability of this definition, an argument discovered by the Soviet psychologist A. N. Sokolov is given, which is that inner speech is accompanied by “hidden” articulation (that is, fine motor movements);
• inner speech is one of the stages of internal programming, which acts as a phase of generating a speech utterance and represents its semantic scheme; from this point of view, inner speech is similar to planning, design and correlates, first of all, with communication (and not with thinking, as in the first two interpretations).

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Note 1

Thus, now the concept of inner speech is not clearly defined enough, so different authors differ in its definition.