Comments on: Impaired Theory of Whose Mind (ToWM)?

By: lyonel

lyonel — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:12:20 +0000

Hey there . I like your piece here as I completely agree. I am actually someone who has never been diagnosed, but some have hinted at that maybe I have Asperger’s or am somewhere on the spectrum anyway. As a person who studied analytic philosophy and is sort of an autodidact, I tend to read about and challenge established areas of thought in where it seems necessary–and no other academic field seems as rife with unjustified assumptions, hollow claims and outright charlatanism than psychology. The position that these “normals” as they are called have the position of correct or social interaction is, to me, a political statement. I could go on about this, and there is plenty on the subject (see Adam Curtis documentaries the century of the self and the trap), but the main point is that there are differing ways of seeing particular situations–whether they be social gatherings or business functions or just the general physical world. To deem what occurs more “normal” is just one way of framing or labeling the situation. I could just as easily label the so called normals as LCDs or Lowest Common Denominators. I could take an Aldus Huxley approach and call them Betas or Deltas since they are the most numerous. Anyway, I agree is the gist of it. I would love to learn more so anything you think is particularly illuminating would be a welcome recommendation. Take care.

By: Paying Too Much Attention to Theory of Mind | Autism and Empathy

Paying Too Much Attention to Theory of Mind | Autism and Empathy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:23:11 +0000

[...] is common to read that people with autism have an impaired theory of mind. Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg has an interesting take on this. So does Patricia [...]

By: The Empathy Question, Revisited: Theory of Mind, Culture, and Understanding | Autism and Empathy

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:08:09 +0000

[...] and experiences empathy as well as their abilities to discern what others are thinking or feeling: Cohen-Rottenberg debunked the idea on her Journeys with Autism blog and Yusuf Smith systematically took apart Dr. [...]

By: Paying too Much Attention to Theory of Mind | Out of the Fog

Paying too Much Attention to Theory of Mind | Out of the Fog — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:53:22 +0000

[...] It is common to read that people with autism have an impaired theory of mind. Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg has an interesting take on this. [...]

By: The Empathy Question, Revisited: Theory of Mind, Culture, and Understanding « Woman With Asperger's

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:49:45 +0000

By: Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg

Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:32:27 +0000

Hi Ari,

Thanks for your comments. My point isn’t that autistic people don’t use logic to understand how other people’s minds work. It’s that everyone uses logic when it comes to understanding minds different from their own. If neurotypical people didn’t use logic to understand how autistic minds work, there wouldn’t be such a plethora of books about “understanding your autistic child,” nor would academic and medical researchers have to carry out studies about us. I’ve never heard of an autistic person carrying out a research study about how neurotypical minds work, and yet we get stuck with the label of being overly logical when it comes to understanding non-autistic people.

By: Ari

Ari — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:34:17 +0000

Theory of mind is more than just having the ability to see the world from another person’s perspective. Anyone can do that with nothing more than logic and a fairly basic understanding of humans as a species. Lack of theory of mind comes in when the person NEEDS logic to figure out what another person might think or feel or do; it’s a lack of intuitive understanding. As an autistic person, knowing about this deficiency in me has made it possible for me to create logic-based alternative thought patterns to help me compensate. Without a knowledge of the deficiency, I’d never have been able to do even that much.

This idea of throwing off negative labels is, I think being taken too far and becoming detrimental instead of encouraging.

(Post found through this link: http://www.shiftjournal.com/2010/11/18/“impaired”-theory-of-whose-mind-towm/ Sorry if you dislike people commenting on old posts…)

By: “Impaired” Theory of Whose Mind (ToWM)? | Neurodiversity

“Impaired” Theory of Whose Mind (ToWM)? | Neurodiversity — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:05:42 +0000

[...] Cohen-Rottenberg blogs at Journeys with Autism. “Impaired” Theory of Whose Mind (ToWM)? appears here under the terms of this Creative Commons [...]

By: Soph

Soph — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:41:15 +0000

Oh I adore you. I’ve been worrying about this theory of mind thing. I convinced myself I didn’t have one, but surely I must. I can put myself in other people’s shoes … I just can’t spot when I’ve pissed someone off.

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 01:03:52 +0000

thank you thank you thank you.
the ToM deficiency is an aspect of AS that has not yet sat well with me. though i definitely have problems understanding NT’s and their motivations, as you said, there has never been a time in my life that i wasn’t trying to work out what the hell they were thinking. it was almost a survival strategy! i’m not good at it, but the idea that i don’t think about the minds of others could not be further from the truth. in fact, on bad days/weeks/months/years, i have ended up in dysfunctional circles when i spend TOO much time and energy trying to figure people out. my mother can relate stories back to early childhood about my over-sensitivity to the metal state of others.
i would never presume to contradict Professor Baron-Cohen, but this theory does not square with my life experiences.