Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind is one's ability to separate themselves from others. This means that one is aware that other people's minds are different from one's own. They have different thoughts, reactions, feelings, thought processes, beliefs, and so on. Having this allows people to understand what makes people different, and allows them to act accordingly. For example, if someone didn't have a theory of mind, and they just assumed people thought the same way they did, this would make interacting with others very hard because you are not able to understand that people see things differently.
For example, I see this a lot when I babysit because young children do not have theory of mind. They think everyones brains work like theirs do and do not understand that everyone is having their own unique experience. This makes interacting with children very interesting sometimes, because it is hard for them to understand certain things and experiences when they think everyone thinks the same way they do. According to Simply Psychology, theory of mind is very important for social interaction, and without it “we would greatly struggle to communicate with each other, understand each other's behaviors, and we wouldn't be known as the unique social beings that make us so special” (Ruhl, 2020). Basically, without theory of mind, we would behave like slightly more intelligent animals.
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Powell, R. Symbaluk, D. & Honey, P (2016). Introduction to learning and behavior, 5th
edition. Cengage Learning.
Perera, A. (2020, August 7). Theory of mind. Theory of Mind | Simply Psychology.
Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-of-mind.html
I also see this a lot in children, especially when they do something bad and they think it is funny and they are laughing and you are not. In most cases I experience them holding my face while they are laughing to try to make me laugh like them and when I do not they have a look of confusion.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to you I see this a lot in children as well. I have also taken a child development psychology class previously where it discussed how children often have a difficult time understanding other people's perspectives similar to this!
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