Computational Modeling, Design and Simulation of

Negative Self-Talk

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Negative Self-Talk

Malgorzata Sobol-Kwapinska, Piotr Oleś & Joanna Stokłosa (2018): Voices Inside Me: The Relationship Between Neuroticism and the Tendency to Engage in Internal Dialogue in the Context of Time Perspective, Journal of Constructivist Psychology, DOI:

Summing up, the results show that attitude toward time affects the strength of the relationship between the tendency to feel negative emotions and internal dialogical activity, and unbalanced time perspective mediates the positive relationship between neuroticism and the general tendency to engage in this kind of internal dialogues.
Due to self-talk’s influence on emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, it is crucial to understand the relation between a tendency to self-talk and other key personality features. What is rather puzzling for scholars investigating adaptive functions of internal dialogues is the significant positive relationship between the tendency to engage in internal dialogues and neuroticism, as found in numerous studies (e.g., Oles, 2009; Oles & Puchalska-Wasyl, 2012; Puchalska-Wasyl, Chmielnicka-Kuter, & Oles, 2008). It is also worth noting that Kendall and Hollon (1989) and Schwartz and Caramoni (1989) found a positive association between internal dialogues and levels of depression and anxiety. Researchers point out that self-talk may negatively impact a person’s self-perception and the perception of others (Nutt-Williams & Hill, 1996). Meichenbaum (1977) described human dysfunction as being caused mainly by destructive internal dialogues. There may be a particularly negative internal conversation occurring in states of anxiety, fear, depression, anger and when a person experiences a sense of failure (Beck & Emery, 1985; Nutt-Williams & Hill, 1996). How can we explain this: that self-talk can have a positive as well as negative impact on a person’s psychological functioning? Most importantly, we need to pay attention to the kinds of internal conversations people may have. As with real-life conversations, dialogues with imagined persons may encompass a range of characters, emotional tone, and overarching purpose. In the literature on the subject, we divide self-talks quite simply into those with negative statements, negative self-talk, and those with positive statements, positive self-talk (Schwartz & Caramoni, 1989; Treadwell & Kendall, 1996). Within negative self-talk there are hostile automatic thoughts and destructive self-related ruminations (Kendall, Howard, & Hays, 1989; Snyder, Crowson, Houston, Kurylo, & Poirier, 1997). The dysfunctional properties of self-talk are the main focus of cognitive–behavioral therapists (see Beck, 1976; Brinthaupt et al., 2015; Glass & Arnkoff, 1994). Schwartz and Caramoni (1989), in their states-of-mind model (SOM), offer five categories of self-talk: (a) positive dialogues in which the majority of thoughts are positive; (b) negative dialogues in which the majority of thoughts are negative; (c) conflicted dialogues, which focus on worries and conflicts; (d) positive monologues, which have positive statements; and (e) negative monologues, with negative statements. Brinthaupt et al. (2009) distinguished self-talk that enables practicing social skills, as used in situations of success and feeling pride, and the kind of internal conversation that deals with failure and self-criticism. In general, internal conversations across various situations have been significantly positively linked with self-centeredness, having automatic self-statements, obsessive–compulsive tendencies, and a need for cognition. The tendency to self-talk as a means of practicing social skills and critical self-talk in situations of failure has been found to correlate significantly negatively with self-esteem and significantly positively with automatic negative self-statements. Reassuring self-talk in crises was found to correlate significantly positively with self-esteem and automatic positive self-statements (Brinthaupt et al., 2009)

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Last updated 5 years ago

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Summing up, the results show that attitude toward time affects the strength of the relationship between the tendency to feel negative emotions and internal dialogical activity, and unbalanced time perspective mediates the positive relationship between neuroticism and the general tendency to engage in this kind of internal dialogues.
Due to self-talk’s influence on emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, it is crucial to understand the relation between a tendency to self-talk and other key personality features. What is rather puzzling for scholars investigating adaptive functions of internal dialogues is the significant positive relationship between the tendency to engage in internal dialogues and neuroticism, as found in numerous studies (e.g., Oles, 2009; Oles & Puchalska-Wasyl, 2012; Puchalska-Wasyl, Chmielnicka-Kuter, & Oles, 2008). It is also worth noting that Kendall and Hollon (1989) and Schwartz and Caramoni (1989) found a positive association between internal dialogues and levels of depression and anxiety. Researchers point out that self-talk may negatively impact a person’s self-perception and the perception of others (Nutt-Williams & Hill, 1996). Meichenbaum (1977) described human dysfunction as being caused mainly by destructive internal dialogues. There may be a particularly negative internal conversation occurring in states of anxiety, fear, depression, anger and when a person experiences a sense of failure (Beck & Emery, 1985; Nutt-Williams & Hill, 1996). How can we explain this: that self-talk can have a positive as well as negative impact on a person’s psychological functioning? Most importantly, we need to pay attention to the kinds of internal conversations people may have. As with real-life conversations, dialogues with imagined persons may encompass a range of characters, emotional tone, and overarching purpose. In the literature on the subject, we divide self-talks quite simply into those with negative statements, negative self-talk, and those with positive statements, positive self-talk (Schwartz & Caramoni, 1989; Treadwell & Kendall, 1996). Within negative self-talk there are hostile automatic thoughts and destructive self-related ruminations (Kendall, Howard, & Hays, 1989; Snyder, Crowson, Houston, Kurylo, & Poirier, 1997). The dysfunctional properties of self-talk are the main focus of cognitive–behavioral therapists (see Beck, 1976; Brinthaupt et al., 2015; Glass & Arnkoff, 1994). Schwartz and Caramoni (1989), in their states-of-mind model (SOM), offer five categories of self-talk: (a) positive dialogues in which the majority of thoughts are positive; (b) negative dialogues in which the majority of thoughts are negative; (c) conflicted dialogues, which focus on worries and conflicts; (d) positive monologues, which have positive statements; and (e) negative monologues, with negative statements. Brinthaupt et al. (2009) distinguished self-talk that enables practicing social skills, as used in situations of success and feeling pride, and the kind of internal conversation that deals with failure and self-criticism. In general, internal conversations across various situations have been significantly positively linked with self-centeredness, having automatic self-statements, obsessive–compulsive tendencies, and a need for cognition. The tendency to self-talk as a means of practicing social skills and critical self-talk in situations of failure has been found to correlate significantly negatively with self-esteem and significantly positively with automatic negative self-statements. Reassuring self-talk in crises was found to correlate significantly positively with self-esteem and automatic positive self-statements (Brinthaupt et al., 2009)