When a language-based narration is running along in my mind, I refer to myself in the first person. Often I am aware of thoughts that don’t have the narration running along, and there is a feeling or idea or notion of “me” that is there, and it’s inwardly oriented, so in language it would have to have first person too.
In fact, I’m all-important in my own mind. Everything about me practically swamps everything outside of me, and I have to make an effort to balance this and remember that I’d like to be kind to others and care about them. Even this effort is a self-conscious one.
Thank you for the rare opportunity to come clean on this priggish and pathetic absorption. It makes me feel better. Me, me, I’m the one who feels better, me.
The question reminds me of this quote from Batman Beyond:
Terry: Tell me something - why were you so sure those voices weren’t coming from you? Bruce: Well, first, I know I’m not psychotic. Terry: I hope your other reason is more convincing. Bruce: Second, the voice kept calling me “Bruce.” In my mind, that’s not what I call myself. Terry: What do you call yourself? [Bruce just looks at him for a moment] Oh, yeah. I suppose you would. [Batman voice] But that’s my name now. Bruce: Tell that to my subconscious.
I use both. First person when I’m organizing my thoughts or thinking through what needs to be done. Example: “Okay, first I need to do the dishes, then I’ll clean the floor. After that, I’ll dust the table in the living room, then I’ll…”
If I’m trying to pump myself up about something or cheer myself on, usually second person, “You can do it, overly. Just two more minutes and you can walk instead of run. Two more… One minute and thirty seconds… Okay, now less than a minute. You can do that easy. In fact, you can probably do another two minutes. Wanna try? You only have 20 seconds now and you’re feeling pretty good. Don’t stop just because you’re bored. This is good for you.”
None of the above. “Some dishes need doing. Go do the dishes,” or, more frequently, “Some dishes need doing. Go play Wii.” If I can answer at all, it’s that my internal dialog is expressed in the imperative.
More expansively, I don’t seem to have an internal monologue, at least not one that I readily characterize in the terms of language. Is that weird?
This is a really interesting question to me. I had previously discussed a similar topic with a friend of mine, who asked me what language I used to express my internal thoughts. The question startled me somewhat. To me, language was something that was used to express thoughts to others, but not to conduct them. I couldn’t really say whether I thought in English or Spanish, as it seemed to me that I thought in neither.