Work

Deep dialogism, inner voices, and mental health

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The idea of dialogic interchange between mutually influencing “voices” within an individual has long played a part in psychology and the philosophy of mind. Although the dialogic aspects of human cognition are the most explicit in inner speech, some authors have argued that other types of mental activity can be (or always are) dialogic. In this paper, we introduce two dimensions of dialogism—strength and depth—and present a particularly deep form of dialogism of the mind. We provide one possible interpretation of deep dialogism from the developmental perspective. Further, we show how this form of dialogism has important payoffs for explaining the mechanisms and the phenomenology of human psychological experiences in general and mental health conditions in particular.

Source: Mind & Language

DOI: 10.1111/mila.70035

Authors: Sofiia Rappe, Sam Wilkinson

Institutions: Durham University, University of Exeter

Language: English

Topic: Social Representations and Identity

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,150

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft