Proponents of the discursive nature of inner speech have suggested
that consciousness is characterised by many internalised
positions that are constantly interacting (Larrain & Haye, 2012).
That is, experiences, thoughts, and beliefs are internalised as voices
within the greater discourse of consciousness, as bodily reactions to
the outside world are evaluated and articulated in terms of language.
In this view, self-talk is similar to other types of inner speech
because it is a representation of an internal position. Self-talk is set
apart from other inner speech and non-language based cognition,
however, in that it has recognisable syntax and can occur either
internally or out loud. When considered this way, self-talk can be
defined as an act of syntactically recognisable communication in
which the sender of the message is also the intended receiver.
Dual process theories provide additional perspective on selftalk.
Dual-process theories have been long been considered as explanations
for human behaviour, having been espoused by Plato,
Descartes, James, Freud, and other notables (Frankish & Evans,
2009). Typically, dual process theories posit a processing mechanism
that is intuitive, fast, effortless, contextualized, and undemanding
of working memory, and another processing mechanism
that involves reasoning, is decontextualized, slower, requires more
conscious effort, and is demanding of working memory. In sport