Four types of self-standards (ideal, ought, undesired, and forbidden selves) were analyzed in the context of self-assessed health of older adults. We focused on the relationships between self-discrepancies (perceived actualization of self-standards) and affect, as well as the content of self-descriptions of standards. Participants (116 Polish older adults) completed: Self Standards’ Measure (SSM), PANAS-X and 7 items from the WHOQOL-BREF. First, we found that self-assessed health moderates the effects of self-discrepancies on affect. The ideal and ought self-discrepancies predicted affect when health was assessed as good. Conversely, the undesired and forbidden self-discrepancies predicted affect when health was assessed as poor. Second, health-related content was more typical for the ideal than for the ought standards. Third, older adults who assessed their health better had fewer health-related standards. The results are discussed with reference to control theory of approach and avoidance.

The aim of the article is twofold: to introduce a Polish adaptation of the Self-Talk Scale (STS) by Brinthaupt et al. (2009), including psychometric properties of the method, and to present some empirical results focusing on relationships between inner speech and other variables, like temperamental and personality traits, selected features of characteristic adaptations, and the self. In a Polish sample of 1,321 participants (770 women) aged 18–70 years ( M = 26.62, SD = 8.30), the internal structure of the scale consisting of self-criticism, self-reinforcement, self- management, and social assessment was confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which showed an acceptable fit of the four-function model to the empirical data. However, according to EFA, two functions, self- management and social assessment, constituted one common factor. Internal consistency of the total score was high, α = .87 and .88, in two samples, as well as for particular functions, from .73 to .85. Validity of the STS was confirmed with the Internal Dialogical Activity Scale – Revised (Oleś et al., 2020). Moreover, STS results corresponded with traits like endurance and neuroticism; characteristic adaptation, like love for life; characteristics of the self, like reflection and rumination; and slightly with tolerance for ambiguity.