Posted by Diarmuid on October 22, 2001 at 07:51:01:
In Reply to: mental voices posted by Bartholomew on October 20, 2001 at 13:05:52:
So that's why people follow demagogues. I've always wanted to understand that. I have absolutely no herd instinct and I never got why people are such sheep in the presence of overconfident people.
But if what you say is at all common, it becomes a lot clearer.
How individualist are you? Can you think of many times in your life when everybody around you went one way, and you disregarded them and went the other?
To answer the question, no. But I would not be surprised if most people do.
: Normally I don't think or read with any mental voice at all. I get the syllables in my head without "hearing" them (or seeing them). I'm not really sure how to describe it, but I'm sure most of you know what I mean.
: However, if I listen for any length of time to anyone with a self-assured voice, I start to think and read in their voice. It's infuriating, it slows down my thinking/reading (because I have to process each sound), and it takes a while to wear off. Any attempts to replace the person's voice with my own are unsuccessful; I don't normally think with a voice, I don't really listen to myself speak out loud either, and the other person's voice is already in my head so it's harder to get another one in. I actually forget the sound of my voice.
: It does not happen with people who have weak or timid voices. If the person doesn't sound confident, there is no problem.
: Have you experienced this?