What narrative mode(s) do you use when thinking?

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First person: "I do something."
Second person: "You do something."
Third person: "He/She/It/They/Name (etc.) does something." - e.g. "He does something, Alice does something."

When I think to myself about myself, I use a mix of first person ("I do this") and second person ("you do this") narrative modes. How about you? How do you think to yourself? If you think in a different mode to the ones listed, how does it go? If you are a visual thinker, how do you refer to yourself when you think?

I'm pretty much the same. A mix of "I" and "you". If I'm giving myself directions it will often be in second person.

My answer was "something else", but after thinking better in the issue, I think that I think in the "3rd person".

I have discussions with myself all of the time. Almost always in first & second person. I jokingly refer to these discussions as being between my right half brain and my left half brain. Or is it between the me that is here in this world and my higher self? Hmmm. Good question. When I am problem solving however, I tend to think visually, or graphically, for the most part.

When I was young (5? 6? Somewhere around there) I used to think in the third or second person a lot. I'm pretty sure I picked up the habit from watching too much Zoom on PBS, where the kids narrated what was going on. I clearly remember narrating what was going on (not out loud) in the third or second person/using the not regal we (Well, now we're watching TV or Then, you get the piece of paper or Why's the teacher yelling at her?)

I answered 'something else' ; my thoughts are discussions between two persons, but they're both me. Anyone else thinks this way?

It entirely depends on what I'm talking to myself about, or which other person (real or imaginary) I'm having a conversation with, or what it is I'm trying to describe.


Or what group or imaginary body I'm addressing, and of what species.

I answered something else.

I don't have a narrative in my head nor any equivalent thing and I am not a visual thinker.

Things just happen. I observe them. I find patterns in what I observe. That's my thinking. I don't have many overthoughts. I mostly have underthoughts. And underthoughts don't create narratives. They're just observations and patterns filtering into place. Any narrative someone might see in this description is an artifact of having to translate into language, not a reflection of reality. In fact, even the concept of "me" is sort of irrelevant in this context.

It's kind of hard to say. I usually think in the first person plural ("So how are we going to do this?") but when I ask myself a question I usually answer in the first person ("I don't know, what do you think?")

I usually think in second or third person. I use second person when I'm mentally conversing with my imaginary friends, and third person because I like to think of my life as a story.

First, second, and third. I also used to use different names to refer to myself(while thinking) when I was a kid. I don't really do it anymore, it wasn't something I did on purpose but I probably had 4 or 5 different names for myself at any given moment.

I think in various modes, but when I'm thinking just verbally, it's usually first-person. I use imperatives when I'm determining to do something that for some reason is difficult mentally (like math, or seeming normal when my executive function's shot). I picked "first and second person" because I would count those instructions as second-person, but you might not. So my thoughts might be "how am I going to get through this? This is awful. Keep it together. Don't scream." When I was little I made more extensive use of second-person, and generally needed to talk out loud.

I've always had that voice. It's always purely rational, though it might seem irrational to an outsider because my goals are generally not the same as other people's. But I'm just working with what I'm given.

Last night I lapsed into third-person while writing my diary, but that's very rare. I simply found it easier to stay calm while writing if I said "patient presents with shortness of breath" instead of "I can't breathe!!" But that voice is very rarely used.

I have thoughts that don't fall into this pattern. Some take the form of stories, sometimes with the words being composed at the same time as the actions, sometimes happening as movies. In these, the narrator might be third-person or first, and the characters speak a lot.

When I think... It's more like my conscious brain observing my subconscious brain hash things out. There are no he's she's we's I's you's etc. It's abstract. Patterns as someone said in an earlier post, but not quite.
This is the ZONE OUT state, as most people call it. Pure introversion at it's extreme. And it's the only time I think this way.

I am left with impressions then... not images, not words, nothing tangible... just vague impressions which I have to interpret... And this is done with words. I use all three persons with no regularity. The idea is what was important... language is just a social requirement that I would prefer to do without, really... and it only makes depiction of understanding difficult. So he vs she vs you is so unimportant, whatever comes out first. There are few concepts for which there is a specific word that means it, and nothing else. Thus most words I use when dealing with esoteric thoughts, i have to almost define the words as I go along... it's hard to keep the thought together when you're doing that. But until we develop ESP, or there are no other people around that I need or want to express my ideas to... guess i'll have to use that old inept tool called Language.

Well, actually, If the thoughts were just about myself, and not intended to be written down, or spoken to someone else, I may never do this interpretation stage...

Prehashing conversation, I used whatever person is appropriate... Though this is essentially just interpreting thoughts that I had further back and haven't interpreted for that situation yet.

Heh.. wonder if anyone will even understand what I said... Wonder if anyone else does the same... Likely I'm the freak though, as always. That's okay though, I've learned to enjoy being the freak.

Nah, you're not a freak. I do the same thing sometimes, just rarely. I think everyone does that.

I don't use words to think. They're too slow. I think in concepts.

Mostly first, but also sometimes second.

As a preschooler I used first and third but never second.