As your morning alarm blares, you mutter to yourself, “Why did I set it so early?” While brushing your teeth, you think, “I need a haircut... unless?” Rushing out the front door, you reach for your keys and realize they’re not there. Frustrated you shout, “I can’t do anything right!” just in time to notice your neighbor.
Dok vam ujutru zvoni alarm, mrmljate sebi u bradu: „Zašto sam ga podesio toliko rano?” Dok perete zube, pomislite: „Treba da se šišam... A možda ipak...” Dok jurite kroz vrata, posežete za ključevima i shvatate da nisu tu. Iznervirani, vičete: „Ne umem ništa da uradim kako treba!” baš u trenutku kada shvatate da je tu komšinica.
Being caught talking to yourself can feel embarrassing, and some people even stigmatize this behavior as a sign of mental instability. But decades of psychology research show that talking to yourself is completely normal. In fact, most, if not all, of us engage in some form of self-talk every single day. So why do we talk to ourselves? And does what we say matter?
Može biti neprijatno kada vas uhvate da pričate sami sa sobom, a neki čak stigmatizuju to ponašanje kao pokazatelj mentalne nestabilnosti. Ali decenije psiholoških studija ukazuju da je sasvim normalno pričati sam sa sobom. Zapravo, većina nas, ako ne i svi mi, vodimo neku vrstu razgovora sami sa sobom svakog dana. Zašto pričamo sami sa sobom? I da li je značajno ono što govorimo?
Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head, sometimes called inner speech. It differs from mental imagery or recalling facts and figures. Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed toward yourself or some facet of your life. This includes personal conversations like “I need to work on my free throw.” But it also includes reflections you have throughout the day, like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow.” And while most self-talk in adults tends to be silent, speaking to yourself out loud also falls into this category.
Razgovor sa samim sobom podrazumeva naraciju u našoj glavi, što se ponekad zove unutrašnji govor. Razlikuje se od mentalnih slika i prisećanja podataka i figura. Konkretno, psiholozi definišu razgovor sa samim sobom kao verbalizovane misli usmerene ka sebi ili nekom aspektu svog života. To obuhvata lične razgovore poput: „Moram da poradim na slobodnom bacanju.“ Ali takođe podrazumeva razmišljanja tokom dana, na primer: „Teretana je pretrpana večeras. Doći ću ponovo sutra.” Dok je kod većine odraslih unutrašnji govor nečujan, u ovu kategoriju spada i glasno govorenje sa sobom.
In fact, psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themselves out loud as they play. In the 1930s, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky hypothesized that this kind of speech was actually key to development. By repeating conversations they’ve had with adults, children practice managing their behaviors and emotions on their own. Then, as they grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue.
Zapravo, psiholozi misle da se prva iskustva sa unutrašnjim govorom uglavnom odvijaju naglas, jer deca često naglas govore sama sa sobom dok se igraju. Ruski psiholog Lev Vigotski je 1930-ih postavio hipotezu da je ta vrsta govora zapravo ključna za razvoj. Kroz ponavljanja razgovora koje su vodili sa odraslima, deca vežbaju da samostalno upravljaju svojim ponašanjem i emocijama. Potom, dok odrastaju, naglas vođeni razgovor sa sobom postaje internalizovan i prerasta u privatni unutrašnji dijalog.
We know this internal self-talk is important, and can help you plan, work through difficult situations, and even motivate you throughout the day. But studying self-talk can be difficult. It relies on study subjects clearly tracking a behavior that’s spontaneous and often done without conscious control. For this reason, scientists are still working to answer basic questions, like, why do some people self-talk more than others? What areas of the brain are activated during self-talk? And how does this activation differ from normal conversation? One thing we know for certain, however, is that what you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance.
Znamo da je taj pounutreni razgovor važan i da može pomoći da planiramo, prebrodimo teške situacije, pa i da nas motiviše tokom dana. Ali izučavanje unutrašnjeg govora može biti otežano. Oslanja se na to da ispitanici precizno prate ponašanje koje je spontano i koje se često odvija bez svesne kontrole. Usled toga, naučnici još uvek pokušavaju da odgovore na osnovna pitanja, na primer, zašto neki pričaju sami sa sobom više od drugih? Koje oblasti mozga se aktiviraju tokom razgovora sa samim sobom? I kako se ta aktivacija razlikuje od normalnog razgovora? Ono što znamo sa sigurnošću je da ono što kažete u tim razgovorima može imati stvarne posledice u vezi sa vašim stavom i postignućem.
Engaging in self-talk that’s instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle everyday tasks. For example, one study of collegiate tennis players found that incorporating instructional self-talk into practice increased their concentration and accuracy.
Za unutrašnji govor koji je poučan ili motivacioni pokazalo se da povećava fokus, podiže samopoštovanje i pomaže u rešavanju svakodnevnih zadataka. Na primer, jedna studija sprovedena na studentima teniserima otkrila je da je uvođenje instrukcionog unutrašnjeg govora u trening povećalo njihovu koncentraciju i tačnost.
And just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress, speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions. Distanced self-talk is when you talk to yourself, as if in conversation with another person. So, rather than “I’m going to crush this exam,” you might think, “Caleb, you are prepared for this test!” One study found that this kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking.
Baš kao što ćaskanje sa prijateljem može smanjiti stres, direktan razgovor sa samim sobom može pomoći u regulisanju emocija. Izmešten unutrašnji govor je kada pričate sami sa sobom kao da razgovarate sa drugom osobom. Dakle, umesto „razvaliću na ovom ispitu”, možda pomislite: „Kejlebe, spreman si za ovaj test!” Jedna studija je pokazala da je takav unutrašnji govor posebno koristan za smanjenje stresa u aktivnostima koje izazivaju anksioznost, poput upoznavanja novih ljudi ili javnog nastupa.
But where positive self-talk can help you, negative self-talk can harm you. Most people are critical of themselves occasionally, but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative, it can become toxic. High levels of negative self-talk are often predictive of anxiety in children and adults. And those who constantly blame themselves for their problems and ruminate on those situations typically experience more intense feelings of depression.
Ali dok pozitivan unutrašnji govor može pomoći, negativan može da naškodi. Većina ljudi je povremeno samokritična, ali kad se to ponašanje prečesto ispoljava ili postane preterano negativno, može postati toksično. Visok nivo negativnog unutrašnjeg govora često je prediktor anksioznosti kod dece i odraslih. A oni koji stalno krive sebe za svoje probleme i preterano razmišljaju o tim situacijama često prolaze kroz intenzivnija osećanja depresije.
Today, there’s a field of psychological treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, which is partially focused on regulating the tone of self-talk. Cognitive behavioral therapists often teach strategies to identify cycles of negative thoughts and replace them with neutral or more compassionate reflections. Over time, these tools can improve one's mental health.
Danas postoji oblast psihološkog lečenja zvana kognitivno-bihejvioralna terapija ili KBT, koja je delimično usmerena na regulisanje tona unurašnjeg razgovora. Kognitivno-bihejvioralni terapeuti često podučavaju strategijama za identifikaciju ciklusa negativnih misli i njihove zamene neutralnim ili saosećajnijim mislima. Ti alati vremenom mogu poboljšati mentalno zdravlje osobe.
So the next time you find yourself chatting with yourself, remember to be kind. That inner voice is a partner you’ll be talking to for many years to come.
Stoga sledeći put kada primetite da ćaskate sami sa sobom, setite se da budete nežni. Taj unutrašnji glas je partner sa kojim ćete pričati još mnogo godina.