Talking Some Self into our Senses: On the relationship between inner dialogue and self-consciousness

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to explain how self-talk is a prerequisite for self-consciousness. A defining characteristic of self-consciousness is the reflexive subject-object relation; a person is both the subject and object of perception. An account based on self-talk is able to explain this without the assumption that people have an innate capacity for introspection. This is because in talking to himself, a person is also both the subject and object of their utterance. Self-consciousness is reflexive because it takes the form of a dialogue with the self. The work of G.H. Mead provides the basic ideas and framework for this theory, which are subsequently refined and expanded upon. In order to develop a theory, this essay discusses dialogue and perspective. Because dialogue involves negotiating multiple interacting perspectives, conducting a dialogue with yourself involves taking the perspective of the other towards yourself. This is how the reflexive subject-object relation emerges out of a socially learned process. As a result, self-consciousness should be interpreted as a social dialogical phenomenon. The dialogical thesis is also considered in the light of psychological research on self-talk. Empirical findings provide evidence for the theory, and they also help to specify the manner in which self-consciousness emerges. This theory of self-consciousness shares some important features with narrative accounts of the self, but the dialogic approach doesn’t share some of the problems with the narrative account. Furthermore, it could possibly explain a wider range of phenomena which makes it a promising alternative.