Schizophrenia: Theory of Mind and Pragmatic Communication

Theory of Mind represents the ability to infer others' mental states; people diagnosed with schizophrenia report specific difficulties in inferring what others mean or think, and this impairment affects the quality of social interactions, and the way language is used. Language deficits concern more the pragmatic communicative aspect, i.e., the correct use of language (verbal and nonverbal) taking into account the context, intentions and needs of the interlocutor. The book, in light of the available scientific literature, presents a psychological analysis of the influence of Theory of Mind on communicative pragmatic impairment in Schizophrenia.