The Self-Reflective Functions of Inner Speech

Abstract

The current chapter revisits an earlier account (2005) of how inner speech leads to self-reflection. Definitions, functions, neuroanatomy, and measurement of self-reflection and inner speech are first presented, followed by the detailed proposal suggesting that these two processes are connected in at least three possible ways. Empirical evidence supporting this proposal is discussed, as well as theoretical considerations pertaining to underlying mechanisms explaining how self-reflection and inner speech may interrelate. To illustrate, several self-referential tasks used in typical fMRI studies show a reliable activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus—the main brain area known to sustain inner speech; inner speech can reproduce (i.e. internalize) already existing social mechanisms leading to self-reflection. Some possible philosophical and clinical implications of the role played by inner speech in self-reflection are outlined in conclusion.

Self‐reported inner speech use in university students

“…Verbalizing about one's emotions as well as thinking about oneself in general (self‐reflection, e.g., one's own education, appearance, and behavior/performance—topics that appear to occur within specific contexts) represented a substantial part of the self‐reported inner speech content. This illustrates the importance of inner speech in self‐referential activities, which is increasingly emphasized in the literature (Morin, , , in press). Not surprisingly, student participants reported talking to themselves about things that would matter to them: school, people, past and current events, performance, appearance, food, and so on.…”

“…Talking to oneself, either aloud (private speech) or in silence (inner speech), has been shown to be associated with multiple positive emotional, cognitive, and behavioral consequences (Alderson‐Day & Fernyhough, ; Fernyhough, ; Hardy, ; Morin, ; Morin, in press; Morin, ; Perrone‐Bertolotti, Rapin, Lachaux, Baciu, & Lœvenbruck, ). Self‐directed speech is known to play a substantial role in self‐regulation (Kross et al, ; Vygotsky, ), thinking (i.e., planning, problem solving, reasoning, decision making, and setting goals—for reviews, see Sokolov, ; Winsler, ; Zivin, ), short‐term memory (Baddeley & Hitch, ) and autobiographical memory (Larsen, Schrauf, Fromholt, & Rubin, ), language (Abramson & Goldinger, ), task‐switching performance (Karbach & Kray, ), rehearsing person‐to‐person communicative encounters (Rubin, ), emotional expression, self‐reflection (Bastian et al, ; DeSouza, DaSilveira, & Gomes, ; Morin, ; Morin, in press; Morin, 2017; Salas & Yuen, ), and possibly theory of mind (Fernyhough & Meins, ).…”

Types of Inner Dialogues and Functions of Self-Talk: Comparisons and Implications

“…Extensive research explores how and why people talk to themselves and whether variations in self-talk content result in different effects on the speaker. Among the self-talk functions are general self-regulation (e.g., Mischel et al, 1996;Carver and Scheier, 1998), self-distancing (Kross et al, 2014), providing instruction and motivation (Hatzigeorgiadis et al, 2011), and self-awareness, self-evaluation, self-knowledge, and self-reflection (White et al, 2015;Morin, 2018).…”

Developing Self-Awareness in Robots via Inner Speech

“…(4) Verbal labeling of self-features, mental episodes, and behaviors makes it possible for the self to recruit a vast vocabulary about oneself to better perceive complex self-related information (Morin, 2005(Morin, , 2018St. Clair Gibson and Foster, 2007).…”