Have you ever thought about your thoughts? How do your thoughts manifest themselves? Do you ‘think’ in complete sentences, as if you were speaking to someone, or reading? Or are your thoughts more abstract in nature?
I ask these because I have noticed that my own thoughts generally take the form of a conversation of sorts, like I’m talking to someone (who happens to be me). Occasionally, they take the form of hypothetical conversations with someone else (with me playing the part of both participants - I don’t have MPD, though, honest! Maybe it’s because I’m a Gemini…). Rarely, they are more abstract in nature; occassionally, I can understand something without being able to actually ‘put it in words.’
I have often felt that I am a ‘slow thinker’ because of this(since I actually say each word). However, it does have the benefit that I get a pretty good feeling for how something will read when I write it down, for example.
So, am I a weird, mutant freak? Or am I not alone in this? What do you think? How do you think?
(I decided to post this here as opposed to GQ because it’s more of a mundane, pointless curiosity on my part, than a burning ‘need to know.’)
Poysyn, I once dreamt in Spanish, I don’t speak Spanish.
I think in complete sentences. And I often have conversations with myself. I joke it’s the only way I can have an intelligent conversation around my house. (Ok, so maybe it’s not a joke)
What bothers me is how I start with one thought, and 3 minutes later I’m about 1000 miles away from the orignal thought. Then I have to sit down and try to trace my steps back to the OT so I can continue working on it.
I generally think in abstracts and visualizations, rather than words, unless I’m deliberately being methodical about something. I do talk to myself (silently) quite a lot, though–usually when I’ve done something blatantly stupid.
Poysyn, I’ve had weird dreams of switching fluently among several languages that I don’t speak. It’s a bit disturbing. It would be worse, though, if someone told you that you were speaking them aloud in your sleep…
I’ve had dreams that I can read and play music, usually on a guitar or piano. Does that qualify as a different language?
I would say my everyday thoughts take the form of a conversational voice.
At the risk of going off at a tangent, has anyone ever thought about what happens to our brains when we think abstractly? I’m a bit like pepperlandgirl in as much as I can start thinking about something and then before I know it I’m thinking about something else entirely.
I was wondering about what happens to our brains when that is going on, I mean, making abstract leaps of logic and association from one subject to another must be an incredibly complex task for the brain to perform, your brain must be going into overdrive when you do that, even though you’re usually unaware you’re doing it. Dows anyone know where I could find some research materials which talk about that?
If you’re a weird, mutant freak, then I am too. I think in the same way…sometimes I think about it and say to myself “Damn, I’m weird.” It’s almost scary.
I too, manage to not think in real grammar. As seen in my writing. I feel/think more than word/think, with emotions, colors, textures and sounds expressing themselves as opinions.
“that’s so squishy-red” is a perfectly understandable thought and judgement as is “He is just so achingly purple smooth hard and loud” or “He makes my ears hurt.”
Purple may have nothing to do with the person other than his personality has the same suppressed depth that I get from looking at something purple. He may not speak loudly, but may be forceful in directions I don’t approve of, hurting my inner ear.
I’m pretty sencitive to colors, sounds, and textures in the real world. It may come from thinking in shades of them for so long. I’m a terror to shop with. “I wanted a soft gray, not this stony gray!”
Yeah, I think (speak) to myself a lot. In my mind that is. I usually think conversationally, but when it comes to emotions, i express those thoughts as Medea’s Child does. Colors and adjectives more than anything, but I can’t speak out loud that way, it just never comes out right.
I have had dreams in other languages, couldn’t tell you what language though, it’s just gibberish to me. But i’ve read books in my dreams, and played video games in my dreams, where it seemed so real.
Reminds me of the “realists” and “etherealists” of Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Thuvia, Maid of Mars”.
I do the exact same thing, to the point of conversations with myself. If thoughts could be read, I would probably be committed, but instead, I’m out in the real world.
I noticed a few years ago that when I think in words, I’m usually thinking the same thing twice. Once to have the thought, and then restructuring it in words. I decided that I didn’t want or need to waste time like that so I made a concious decision to try to think without words whenever possible.
It worked, and I think I’m now more efficient in most thoughts. It did have a negative affect (not an intentional psych pun, but I’ll leave it) on my verbal communications, but I don’t mind too much.
I still think in words for interactions with people (the aformentioned simulated conversation), but most other stuff bypasses that step.
No funky color-thoughts though.
I often find myself repeating my thoughts as well. Sometimes, if a thought gets interrupted by whatever means (including the intrusion of another, tangent thought), I can’t let go of the previous one until I ‘complete the sentence.’ Very annoying.
