For behavioralists, inner conversations can reveal repressed emotions, good or self-deprecating, that were stirred by a phone call or triggered by an event or encounter. Like the self-admonishing, “Oh, I sounded so stupid!” Or the self-affirming, “I always feel valued when she and I work together.”

What. Who would ever talk to themself like that? Maybe my inner monologue is just naturally mean, always bringing up exactly what I don’t want to talk about, but I can tell you it has never said anything along the lines of, “I always feel valued when she and I work together.”