Self-Talk And Social Interaction

As part of human nature, we’re all very familiar with the “little voice” inside of our heads that is constantly evaluating others, our social world, and ourselves. This little voice is not always the kindest and often, we feel the backlash of our own words. In individuals who are lonely, the frequency and effects of self-talk are amplified. Reichl, Schneider, & Spinath evaluates the way people use self-talk as a substitute for social interaction and how it effects their functioning.
The physical and psychological well-being of humans places a great importance on the maintenance of social interactions. Humans are inclined to be social; the strong yearning to belong that most people experience is a result of both evolution and socialization. …show more content…
Self-talk may be used as a momentary substitute by providing fleeting feelings of social involvement. Self-talk was believed to work as a buffer from the negative consequences of social isolation, but in fact, self-talk is not protective at all; the results of this study imply that self-talk is detrimental to health. This may be explained by the fact that self-talk induces reflective thinking. Individuals that are more aware of the discrepancies between their ideal social network and their true social network may experience discomfort as a result of cognitive dissonance or injuries to their self-esteem. The results of this study imply that self-talk, in some situations, may actually hyper-activate self-regulation and criticism. The self-talk subscales that were found to have moderating effects are associated with this self-critical behavior. Self-reinforcement, however, is positively correlated with self-esteem, and may provide protection against negative rumination. If positive effects of self-talk do exists, they may be limited to specific situations, such as those that involve self-reinforcement (Reichl, Schneider, & Spinath, …show more content…
Being aware of the effects of self-talk can certainly apply to everyday college life. The stress of finishing assignments, completing projects, and studying for exams is enough to make anyone feel inadequate and many students often find themselves in a very self-critical mindset. Instead of nit-picking at all of my shortcomings and using less-than-nice words to tell myself that I’m not good enough, I can try to emphasize my use of self-reinforcement while avoiding social assessment, self-criticism, and self-management. By correcting myself when my self-talk is no longer helpful, I can work towards a more positive mindset when it comes to tackling stressful situations and hectic