Metacognition and theory of mind in children with migraine and children with internalizing disorders

Excerpt

Theory of Mind (ToM), metacognition, and alexithymia are different psychological constructs which have in common the recognition (or the lack of recognition for alexithymia) of emotions and mental states of their own and others. ToM refers to the ability to attribute mental states (i.e., beliefs, emotions, desires, intentions, and thoughts) to others in order to explain and predict their behavior. Metacognition indicates the knowledge that the individual has about his own cognitive processes and their functioning, as well as the knowledge of the strategies through which he can control and monitor these processes. Finally, alexithymia is a construct that includes various clinical features, such as difficulties in identifying and describing one’s own emotions, poor imaginative abilities, and a mode of thinking centered on practical and concrete aspects of experience. These three factors have been studied in several psychiatric and non-psychiatric disorders. …