ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to provide an up-to-date review of the state of the science on the relation between mindreading and psychopathology in middle childhood and adolescence. We begin the chapter by highlighting why we need to pay special attention to theory of mind development and psychopathology in middle childhood and adolescence, with an emphasis on the fact that adolescence ushers in a qualitative maturational shift that allows individuals to take on adult role-function in love and work. We then provide an update to previous reviews on the link between mindreading and psychopathology in middle childhood and adolescence. Finally, we reflect on emerging data in support of the existence of a psychopathology factor (‘p-factor’) that may turn out to be a more important correlate of theory of mind than any individual form of psychopathology.
