Conference Agenda

The self represents a multifactorial entity made up of several interrelated constructs. It is suggested that self-talk orchestrates interactions between most self-processes—especially those entailing self-reflection. A review of the literature is performed, specifically looking for representative studies (n = 12) presenting correlations between self-report measures of self-talk and self-reflective processes. Self-talk questionnaires include the Self-Talk Scale, the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire, the General Inner Speech Questionnaire, and the Inner Speech Scale. The main self-reflection measures are the Rumination and Reflection Questionnaire, the Self-Consciousness Scale, and the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale. Most measures comprise subscales which are also discussed. Findings include: (1) positive significant correlations between self-talk used for self-management/assessment and self-reflection, arguably because the latter entails self-regulation, which itself relies on self-directed speech; (2) positive significant correlations between critical self-talk and self-rumination, as both may recruit negative, repetitive, and uncontrollable self-thoughts; (3) negative associations between self-talk and the self-acceptance aspect of mindfulness, likely because thinking about oneself in the present in a non-judgmental way is best achieved by repressing one’s inner voice. Limitations are discussed, including the selective nature of the reported correlations. Experimentally manipulating self-talk would make it possible to further explore causal associations with self-processes.

There is an abundance of research on the purposes of gestures when communicating with other people. This research indicates that gesturing while speaking can benefit comprehension by listeners as well as aid the speaker in formulating thoughts and emotions and communicating more effectively. Surprisingly, there is very little research on people’s use and awareness of gestures when they engage in internal dialogues and self-talk. In some ways, gesturing while talking to oneself may seem contradictory, since the recipient of the message is the same person as the sender and other people are typically not the direct targets of one’s self-talk. In this research, we examined whether talking to oneself was related to people’s perceptions and production of gestures. Participants (N = 291) completed standardized measures of internal dialogues (IDAS-R), self-talk (Self-Talk Scale), and gestures (Brief Assessment of Gestures) and rated questions about their awareness of gesturing across a variety of self-talk situations. Results showed that total gesture and gesture production scores were significantly and positively related to identity, social, supportive, and spontaneous internal dialogues. Total gesture scores were also significantly and positively related to total, self-reinforcing, and self-managing self-talk scores. Internal dialogue and self-talk scores were more strongly related to gesture production than perception. Participants also reported that they tended to use gestures less frequently when having imaginary or replaying conversations with others but more frequently when they were trying to figure out what to do. We will also report on the results of an experimental study of gestures and intrapersonal communication (currently in progress). We will discuss the implications of these results for the embodiment of intrapersonal communication.

This study examines how professional reflexivity is dialogically organized through an analysis of I-positions in a researcher–practitioner, drawing on Dialogical Self Theory (DST) as its theoretical framework. Rather than treating reflexivity as a stable quality, the study approaches it as a dynamic process shaped by perceived differences between self and others.

The first author (K), a clinical psychologist, researcher, and volunteer swimming instructor for individuals with disabilities (IWDs), narrated her life story to the second author (S) as interviewer in two interviews (total 6 hours), focusing particularly on experiences related to disability and interactions with IWDs. The study adopted a collaborative autoethnographic design. A thematic analysis informed by DST was conducted to identify I-positions and examine their relations and tensions. Some positions were recognized during the interviews, others were identified through post-interview engagement with the transcripts, and still others were pointed out by S, indicating that reflexive self-understanding was co-constructed within the dialogical process.

Five main I-positions were identified and closely connected: I-as-curious observer; I-as-outsider seeking recognition from insiders; I-as-ethical self-examiner acknowledging prejudice; I-as-discriminator with guilt; and I-as-apprehensive-of-discriminating. Guilt strengthened the wish to be recognized by insiders as someone not engaging in discrimination. Attempts to deny one’s own prejudice were experienced as reproducing discrimination, while openly acknowledging prejudice sometimes functioned as a presentation of moral awareness. Efforts to act ethically paradoxically intensified outsiderhood. Guilt-driven reflexivity reorganized the self around the very difference sought to be overcome, thereby reinforcing the boundary between outsider and insider.

By emphasizing outsiderhood as a structuring feature of the dialogical self, the study contributes to discussions of I-position exploration as an ongoing negotiation of difference rather than its resolution. At the same time, it suggests that examining one’s I-positions can foster ethical reflection in researcher–practitioners and serve as a valuable component of professional training.

A number of factors crucial for experiencing high sexual satisfaction have already been identified, people's mindset being one of them. The goal of this research was to investigate further how women’s mental attitude towards sex refers to their sexual satisfaction. Two different theoretical approaches were applied for this aim: a) the well-established cognitive model and the notion of self-schemas; b) the phenomenological dialogical self theory and the concept of I-positions. It was hypothesized that: 1) sexual I-positions predict sexual satisfaction stronger than sexual self-schemas; 2) there are concrete sexual I-positions, such as “I-as-guilty” or “I-as-wild” which explain sexual satisfaction the most. The study was conducted online on a group of 228 heterosexual Turkish women with at least 1-year lasting relationship. They completed The New Sexual Satisfaction Scale, Sexual I-Position Profiles and Women’s Sexual Self-Schema Scale. Analyses showed that I-positions predict sexual satisfaction much better than self-schemas. Sexual I-positions explained 48.8% of the variance. It was observed that positive I-positions explain sexual satisfaction much better than negative ones. The following I-positions were the most important for sexual satisfaction, “I-as-his-lover”, “I-as-wild”, “I-as-sexy”, “I-as-not interested”, “I-as-princess” and “I-as-blessed”. Results for sexual schemas showed that only romantic-passionate schema is significant for sexual satisfaction when analyzed together with I-positions. Obtained findings suggest that the phenomenological concept of sexual I-positions provides a more robust explanation for women’s sexual satisfaction than traditional, stable cognitive sexual self-schemas.