This interesting taxonomy caught my eye partly because it was different and partly because I was relieved other people had voices in their head too. The British Psychological Society’s Research Digest brought some interesting information to us in their article, “A preliminary taxonomy of the voices inside your head.”

I joke, of course. Well, mostly. Psychologists are taking an increased interest in the way we all speak to ourselves in our heads. We aren’t talking about the voices that are uncontrollable and a result of mental illness. It is the voices that are considered talking to yourself non-audibly. It is part of most healthy people’s consciousness.

When we talk to ourselves in our heads in this way, it’s common for there to be a kind of dialogue. Consider how “You” might say to yourself that you want to stop working, but then a voice in your head takes a different stance and urges you to continue.

Take a moment to check out the taxonomy. It is an interesting classification project, even if it isn’t a true taxonomy.

Melody K. Smith

Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.