Aug 27, 2026 · 27 min · 16 segments
Have you ever wondered if the thoughts in your head are actually yours? In this episode, I break down where your thoughts come from, how childhood experiences and your physical state can shape the way…
Rob DialHost
In the 1930s, there was a Russian psychologist named, and I hope I don't mess this up too bad, Lev Vygotsky, and he was studying how children develop their language and how they develop their thinking.
It's obvious if you've ever been around a child, but it's really interesting what he found out, is kids talk to themselves out loud.
Oops, it fall down." Right? And then around six to seven years old, which is right towards the end of what they call identity development, it goes quiet and they stop talking to themself out loud.
The kid doesn't talk, stop talking to themself, they just stop saying what they're thinking out loud.
You actually inherited them, and psychologists are basically in agreement across the board that the voice in your head is primarily the voices of your primary caregivers, whether that be your parents or your aunt and uncle or your grandparents, whoever were your primary caregivers.
And then obviously that's, that's the majority of them, but then also there's some extra things in there.
There's voices that you heard along the way, things that your aunt told you or your cousin told you or what a teacher told you after you get out into the world.
And, like, I'll give you a really quick example of how somebody can develop an identity not just from their parents, but from other places as well.
When he was eight years old, his cousin told him to put on a shirt and cover up his boobies, is what he said.
He's like, "Put on a shirt and cover up your big boobies." And my friend, since I've known him, like a decade now, has always struggled with his weight and his body.
In the 1930s, there was a Russian psychologist named, and I hope I don't mess this up too bad, Lev Vygotsky, and he was studying how children develop their language and how they develop their thinking.
It's obvious if you've ever been around a child, but it's really interesting what he found out, is kids talk to themselves out loud.
Oops, it fall down." Right? And then around six to seven years old, which is right towards the end of what they call identity development, it goes quiet and they stop talking to themself out loud.
The kid doesn't talk, stop talking to themself, they just stop saying what they're thinking out loud.
You actually inherited them, and psychologists are basically in agreement across the board that the voice in your head is primarily the voices of your primary caregivers, whether that be your parents or your aunt and uncle or your grandparents, whoever were your primary caregivers.
And then obviously that's, that's the majority of them, but then also there's some extra things in there.
There's voices that you heard along the way, things that your aunt told you or your cousin told you or what a teacher told you after you get out into the world.
And, like, I'll give you a really quick example of how somebody can develop an identity not just from their parents, but from other places as well.
When he was eight years old, his cousin told him to put on a shirt and cover up his boobies, is what he said.
He's like, "Put on a shirt and cover up your big boobies." And my friend, since I've known him, like a decade now, has always struggled with his weight and his body.
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