Does anyone else think in the form of conversations?

[DrSketchpad]

I've become increasingly aware that my thoughts might not be like other peoples thoughts. As the title suggests, a lot of my thoughts are in the form of a discussion with a specific person in my life (changes depend on what I'm thinking). It's like I'm constantly making arguments that don't exist. Maybe I have an underlying fear of social pain, so I prepare my discussions. Maybe I just need the stimulation. Maybe the reason I never feel lonely is because I constantly have imaginary discussions. Can anyone relate? Is this something that everyone experiences and just doesn't talk about?Is this just a manifestation of Ti+Ne?

This interests me. Discuss if you'd like.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Did it more when I was younger, still do it sometimes. I think it's a way of simulating a social situation, probably indicates the presence of some autistic trait(s). Do you also repeat words and sentences under your breath? I did that a lot.

 

[DrSketchpad]

Nope, don't think I ever did that. Maybe I'll grow out of it idk.

 

[Brontosaurie]

not conversations word for word, but the gist of them. possible responses, angles, accusations, negotiations, arguments, proof, comparisons, etc.

 

[DrSketchpad]

Same, interesting...

 

[RaBind]

I've probably done it for further back then I can remember. I talk to myself in my thoughts, else it'll be quietly so people don't think I'm strange. More accurately it's more "stating/pointing out" things than "talking". A conversation requires attempts to communicate ideas across. This isn't so as I understand most of my thoughts. Other people do it too, so I'm sure its normal.

Te is following a train of thought.

Ne is when patterns are observed. Stating general rules to yourself, which you've observed occur many times.

Ti evaluates the products of Ne, using the knowledge stored in the Si. Sometimes you've overgeneralized, haven't taken enough into consideration... or in other cases you're actually correct.

Ti, Ne, Si - work together to notice patterns and to evaluate them, perhaps explaining a possible higher amount of time intps spend thinking, about ideas which are very loosely connected.

The thoughts/voice in my head is only mine alone of coarse, seeing as I can understand it/know where it's coming from. Another voice/s, beyond your understanding, probably should get you worried.

 

[Lot]

I usually have conversations with myself. There was a time when I would create people I know to have a conversation with. When I was really little, before bed, I would have conversations with my family members. They were just in my head, though.

Lately, when I meditate, I make up people to talk to. Often they are in very vivid daydream format. It can help me think through things. Learning how to put my concepts into words. How I would explain something to someone else. But the conversations with myself are the best.

 

[Grayman]

Did it more when I was younger, still do it sometimes. I think it's a way of simulating a social situation, probably indicates the presence of some autistic trait(s). Do you also repeat words and sentences under your breath? I did that a lot.

Were you more isolated when you were younger? Did you read more?

 

[Hadoblado]

Yeah I do this a lot... well... I argue in my head... same thing?

If I'm in a good mood I'll win (sad ino). If I'm not feeling myself the argument will be about something so irrelevant it hurts, but I won't be able to get rid of it.

I do most of my conceptual exploration through internal argumentation.

 

[Pyropyro]

Yeah, I simulate arguments within my head for things that I'm in conflict with. Let's say I'm going to get another job, I'll probably make a "Yes" voice in my head about the pros and "Nay" one to argue the cons. However, it's not uncommon for me to execute a third option after thinking things through.

 

[DrSketchpad]

Yeah I do this a lot... well... I argue in my head... same thing?

hmmm... Yes I think. Do you ever happen to "feel" another specific person and imagine their response and offer a rebuttal?

When I argue in my head its usually with another person imagining what that person would bring to the argument. I don't "hear" them I just start the next thought as a response to a point I think they'd bring up.

Other than that I still just have a normal internal monologue.

 

[Anktark]

When I have an inner debate/argument it's usually with 2-3 (rarely up to 4 (the fourth is a complete dick)) other entities. They are not what I would describe as people, lack personalization. Just some constructs with different approach/view to/of a subject/problem. Probably the only time when I try imagining a conversation with another person is when I plan to have an actual interaction with them and want to come up with possible responses in advance.

 

[Direwolf]

Drsketchpad your describing my daily routine. Im always talking to myself. Most of the times simulating an imaginary arguement or discussion based in the way people act. Most of the time i get it right and have comebacks abd arguement ready to fire miliseconds after they finish talking. Sometimes though i just talk to myself

 

[ddspada]

[...]Do you ever happen to "feel" another specific person and imagine their response and offer a rebuttal?

When I argue in my head its usually with another person imagining what that person would bring to the argument. I don't "hear" them I just start the next thought as a response to a point I think they'd bring up.

I read the topic yesterday and tried my best to become aware of this throughout today's activities. I must have had some fifteen or twenty mini-conversations like this, perhaps totaling three hours or so (I'm sure I did not become aware of every single time it happened, though). I can definitely recognize that there have been times where a single instance of this conversation-thought-MO goes on for several hours, almost uninterrupted.

 

[Grayman]

I read the topic yesterday and tried my best to become aware of this throughout today's activities. I must have had some fifteen or twenty mini-conversations like this, perhaps totaling three hours or so (I'm sure I did not become aware of every single time it happened, though). I can definitely recognize that there have been times where a single instance of this conversation-thought-MO goes on for several hours, almost uninterrupted.

Doesn't that give you a headache?

 

[ddspada]

Doesn't that give you a headache?

When it happens for too long, yes. It's tiring at that level because it requires a very deep understanding of the mind of another individual (even if the individual is really imaginary and of my own creation but only has the name and face of someone I know). Thankfully long periods of it don't happen all that often. If I become aware I can will it to stop, but it's not like I will it to happen in the first place.

 

[idokaiho]

I do this often in anticipation of conversation topics with specific people. It might make me appear spontaneous but it isn't really because of this process. Sometimes I neurotically do it from like every possible angle... It can make conversations really boring like being on autopilot because I've basically already had them. I enjoy it a lot more when I'm having conversations I haven't prepared for, as long as it's not small talk.

This topic is kinda funny because I just made my sig like 15-30 minutes ago.

 

[StevenM]

Does anyone sometimes, (in some cases) pretend that your conversations could possibly be real? As in, you are telepathically connecting to someone else? At least, just for the 'rush' of it, to make it even more interesting...

Of course, the buzz-kill is that it is not possible at all to do so.

But sometimes (actually somewhat rare), I can get deep into pretending that it's real. Takes me awhile to realize again that my thoughts are indeed my own, and there is no such thing as connecting with people in this way.

 

[idokaiho]

A cat I have is very perceptive when it comes to human behavior. It's like he's reading my mind but it's just body language. I used to think things and see how he'd react. Made me feel like a lunatic.

 

[Nick]

Wait,. what's going on in everyone elses head if they're not holding debate class in their mind 24/7?

This behavior is also potentiated if I'm lost in a shower.

 

[ddspada]

Does anyone sometimes, (in some cases) pretend that your conversations could possibly be real? As in, you are telepathically connecting to someone else? At least, just for the 'rush' of it, to make it even more interesting...

If it's not like that it doesn't count!

 

[DrSketchpad]

I read the topic yesterday and tried my best to become aware of this throughout today's activities. I must have had some fifteen or twenty mini-conversations like this, perhaps totaling three hours or so (I'm sure I did not become aware of every single time it happened, though). I can definitely recognize that there have been times where a single instance of this conversation-thought-MO goes on for several hours, almost uninterrupted.

YES

I feel better knowing I've made someone more self aware! It mostly came to my attention when I had a conversation with my Dad (INTJ) that says he doesn't do this.

 

[Teax]

I had a conversation with my Dad (INTJ) that says he doesn't do this.

reaaally? O_o I truly thought this is how everyone does it at least to some degree. maybe he simply doesnt notice it? interesting.

how does one come to any sort of conclusion then? how can one weight the pros and cons of any decision without.... will have to research this....

 

[Grayman]

reaaally? O_o I truly thought this is how everyone does it at least to some degree. maybe he simply doesnt notice it? interesting.

how does one come to any sort of conclusion then? how can one weight the pros and cons of any decision without.... will have to research this....

Ni - Intuition.

He just knows.

 

[grayskies]

Did it more when I was younger, still do it sometimes. I think it's a way of simulating a social situation, probably indicates the presence of some autistic trait(s). Do you also repeat words and sentences under your breath? I did that a lot.

I do! I call it OCD of the mind. Reading helps because I'm able to push aside thoughts/words in my head as I'm needing to concentrate on the material I'm reading. When I was younger, I'd say I was worse...I got stuck on the letter "E." Because of that, I practice great self-restraint.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

reaaally? O_o I truly thought this is how everyone does it at least to some degree. maybe he simply doesnt notice it? interesting.

I don't do it. I used to.

how does one come to any sort of conclusion then? how can one weight the pros and cons of any decision without.... will have to research this....

He doesn't weight the pros and cons, he just stated the fact that he doesn't do this.
Looking at the pros and cons without the framework in mind in this case would be time consuming and wouldn't provide any useful results.
In what light does this sort of thinking seem better than the basic form, the contents essentially are the same, only the narration changes.

There is some kind of weakness in this "comparative" reasoning that looks at pros and cons and doesn't reject information, it's that it easily falls into pseudoscientific or flawed assumptions and then wastes its time on deriving truths where none can be found.

 

[computerhxr]

Yes! I typically think about every possible scenario and test to see how people will respond, therefore building a stronger argument.

I would say that I have a few of these conversations going on at once. I have to ignore them most of the time but every once in a while I tune-in to see how the debate is going.

Also, they are conversations with specific people, or groups of people. Their responses are in their voice, and they have the same body language and mannerisms. If I choose to have the conversation with that person, it plays out pretty much the same as I imagined.

Without going through this process, I can still use my intuition to predict the most likely responses to a given situation. Usually when I am under a high degree of stress, I find that these conversations start building up in my head.

As a technique, I like to anchor these conversations to a physical location so that I can get them out of my mind. I have started putting them on to-do list in a "sometime/maybe" section.

The same thing happens to me with any thought. If I learn a lot of new concepts or ideas in a day, then my mind is swirling with information. I can anchor them to to-do list tasks to get them out of my head as well. Also, I can assign my deduction to someone who is an authority on a concept that I have determined will come to the same conclusions. This is a method of parallel processing that allows me to offload thought processes to other processing units.

 

[Linnis]

Yup I do that, also have an INTP friend that told me she had it, he thought she was abnormal, sounds pretty common. Also think it is partly to prepare for social situations. I mostly get it when I am thinking about heated discussions or situations where I feel like it is hard to get my point through.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Were you more isolated when you were younger? Did you read more?

Nah pretty much the same as now ie somewhat isolated but not lacking a social life.

 

[Grayman]

Nah pretty much the same as now ie somewhat isolated but not lacking a social life.

Okay, thanks.

I was curios because I thought there might be a correlation between isolation and talking to yourself in your head.


I recently realized that the more time I spend on forums or deep social social structures the more I do it myself. I think it is a method I use for dealing with emotional/social issues. Reading books can cause it too as I try to figure alternatives to how the social apparatus of the book could have gone or what may happen later in the book. Almost always there are emotions behind the conversations. There are a lot of things also in the book I go through in my head that do not require conversation. I review these as if watching a movie and emotions are also behind these interactions.

When I get lack of sleep the voices can be overwhelming and incoherent, usually connecting to random parts of a movie or book that I stayed up late watching or reading.