The adolescent mind in school: theory of mind and self-concept in Canadian and Polish youth

Recent research shows that the ability to understand the mental states of self and others [theory of mind (ToM)] develops throughout childhood into adolescence and may differ across cultures. Although links may exist between ToM understanding and other aspects of social cognition including self-concept, there remains a lack of cross-cultural studies that explore the reasoning about the relationships between self (intrapersonal) and other (interpersonal) understandings throughout adolescence. Accordingly, this study explored the relationships between adolescents' ToM and their self-concept in Canadian and Polish samples. Findings revealed significant negative relationships between ToM and self-perception among Canadian participants only. Analyses of ToM responses revealing psychological explanations of social situations were the most common in both Polish and Canadian participants. Compared to the Polish participants, Canadian children were more likely to refer to their self or personal experiences. Findings are discussed in terms of developmental and psychocultural differences.