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An exploration of theory of mind performance among men convicted of rape
Author(s) -
Friestad Christine,
Vaskinn Anja
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12732
Subject(s) - psychology , theory of mind , perspective (graphical) , interpersonal communication , cognition , interpersonal relationship , interpersonal violence , social psychology , poison control , social cognition , interpersonal interaction , human factors and ergonomics , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medical emergency , medicine , artificial intelligence , computer science
Several of the known risk factors for sexual violence concern a lack of capacity for engaging in mutually satisfying interpersonal relationships. Socio‐cognitive deficits may be approached from a theory of mind (ToM) perspective, where lack of ability to attribute mental states to others is seen as the core feature. This study focuses on imprisoned men (n = 26) convicted of rape against an adult. A video‐based measure of ToM (MASC) was applied, depicting social interaction in a dynamic real‐life setting. The results showed that the rape‐convicted men have a markedly inferior ability to infer the mental states of others. Clinical as well as theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.