The Theory of Mind, Empathy, and Mind-blindness

Wendy contributed this article by Christopher Pappas:

"5 Tips To Integrate The Theory Of Mind, Empathy, And Mindblindness In eLearning Course Design."

 (Links to an external site.)

She states, "This is an interesting article about building up the capacity for empathy through e-learning. I appreciate the tips on how to encourage the learner to challenge their own beliefs, and was especially interested in the tips on how to construct e-learning that teaches how to recognize different emotional facial expressions. 

Much of the information presented is based on 'Theory of Mind,' which according to Wikipedia is, 'the ability to attribute mental states — beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc. — to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one's own.' When the Theory of Mind is not developed in someone, they may suffer from 'Mind-blindness - a cognitive disorder where an individual is unable to attribute mental states to the self and other. As a result of this disorder the individual may be unaware of others' mental states, or incapable in attributing beliefs and desires to others.'

I do wonder if emotional expression through facial expressions varies around the world."

Link is here.