Classical psychology in Europe would consider a person who is talking loud to himself as weird problematic, silly and non-mature. In fact in many under-developed places in the world they would have the same opinion. They may accept though the silent internal talking in the individual. Karl Jung , the known European psychologist used to write that in his whole life, in all the critical situation of his experience, he was creating three persons in him, as three different sides of his self, who were discussing, arguing and deciding about the situation. Each one of his inner talkers personifying different aspects of his personality. Not only he did not considered it a pathological case of split personality, as in schizophrenia, but in the contrary, he was valuing it as one of his best and most fruitful tools of personal development and decision making, in the same way that democracy is considered a superior decision making system that monarchism.
The modern psychology of personal development is proud to use, the self-talking as a powerful tool to change the personality even the deeper self, or changing the programming of the subconscious. Self-talking can be loud, oral, or in written form, that is read repeatedly or recorded, and listened repeatedly like the ancient eastern religious mantra of yogi. Some how the hypnotherapy and hypnotism are based on the same principle. There hundredths of books and plenty many schools that teach self-talking. Listening to mp3-recorded self-talking , early in the morning in the bed, before getting up, and late in the night in the bed before falling asleep is probably one of the most powerful methods. The metaphor of understanding its power is subconscious= computer, self-talking=new programmed code. Probably the most powerful effect of it is that it substitutes accidental or not previous "Programming" of the unconscious as beliefs, learned indirectly or through unfortunate experiences. As all methods have also their draw backs. And one is that excessive and forced repetition beyond a desired number, may have the opposite effects, or make you feel practicing stupidity. It requires a discretion in using it, and a good criterion is that its effects is good if when listening, although you almost know by hart the text, it reveals new meanings relevant to the recent experiences.
