Theory of own mind in autism

TLDR

Self‑awareness is multifaceted, allowing selective impairments in different aspects of the self. The study investigates whether autism is characterized by a deficit in theory of own mind. Autistic individuals show a deficit in recognizing their own mental states comparable to recognizing others’ states, while maintaining typical awareness of their physical self, suggesting distinct self‑awareness components.

Abstract

Assuming that self-awareness is not a unitary phenomenon, and that one can be aware of different aspects of self at any one time, it follows that selective impairments in self-awareness can occur. This article explores the idea that autism involves a particular deficit in awareness of the ‘psychological self’, or ‘theory of own mind’. This hypothesised deficit renders individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at least as impaired at recognising their own mental states as at recognising mental states in other people. This deficit, it is argued, stands in contrast to an apparently typical awareness of the ‘physical self’ amongst people with autism. Theoretical implications of the empirical evidence are discussed.