Theory of Mind

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to ascribe mental states to oneself and to others and how individuals may use this information to interpret the beliefs and intentions of others as distinct from their own. It is the capacity to understand people as mental beings with desires, beliefs, emotions, and intentions such that their actions, and others' interactions with them, can be interpreted and explained by these mental states.

An important role in the development of the current understanding of ToM belongs to the French philosopher René Descartes (Cartesius), active in the 17th century. He assumed that human beings are like machines, functioning according to mechanical laws; but he also assumed that humans are driven by higher-level thought that transcends such laws. The existence of the mind is confirmed, according to Descartes, by the well-known syllogism, “I doubt, therefore I'm thinking; I think, therefore I am” (Dubito ergo cogito; cogito, ergo sum). Descartes considered the mind as a product of the brain's activities, a hypothesis that is widely accepted by contemporary science.

By the end of World War II, two dominant explanations for ToM had developed: Theory theory and simulation theory. Theory theory proposes that humans construct a model for the mental state of others. These models are used to predict and explain the actions of others. [Page 1126]Simulation theory suggests that there is no need to construct an abstract model of others' minds, as the observer uses his or her own mind as the model for another person's emotion and motivation. Simulation theory has received tangible support from the discovery of mirror neurons.

ToM has affected a wide span of areas in psychology and neuroscience. On the basis that certain developmental conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder are associated with difficulty with tasks that rely on a theory of mind, some therapeutic methods, – including music therapy, are drawing on tests of ToM in the assessment and treatment of clients. Applications are useful mainly in treating autism spectrum disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. ToM has also featured prominently in discussions of evolutionary psychology. The appearance of Homo sapiens 200,000 to 250,000 years ago was associated with many technical, social, and cultural phenomena. Some scholars believe that these advances were made possible by the emergence of ToM capabilities.