Self-help Articles

by Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D.

Most people talk to themselves at one time or another, so it may not be a problem in and of itself. But let's look at reasons why people might talk to themselves.

If you fall into any of these categories, there may be reason to take some action:

1. Loneliness. Obviously many people who live alone talk to themselves. If loneliness is involved, are there social options which you are not exploring?
2. Withdrawal. Some persons have had a sufficient amount of hurt in their lives that they withdraw from others into their own world. This may be a matter which could be resolved by exploration with a therapist.
3. Self-stimulation. Certain types of learning disabilities involve efforts to adjust by self-stimulation. For instance, some readers will move their lips while reading.
   These persons are often strong auditory learners trying to stimulate their strongest learning center. Thus, talking to yourself may be a reflection that you are a very strong auditory learner who does much better with processing anything when it is spoken. You might want to get with a learning diagnostic specialist to check this out.

If you do not fall into one of these categories, and people outside your family aren't concerned when you talk to self, it may be more your family's problem than your own.

About the Author:

Richard B. Patterson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in El Paso, TX. He is the author of three books on psychology and spirituality.