Is TOM basically saying others can be illogical?

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I approach TOM in a logical way, assuming others view this situation logically and rationally what would they think and assume. What trips me up is some people aren't logical or rational and sometimes seem almost delusional, so there is no way for me to possibly predict how they will see the situation and it causes massive messes. But then I wonder what is even the point of TOM if someone can view a apple and think it is a unicorn? No amount of effort is going to let me read minds.

Like I could watch a guy eating hot wings enthusiastically, and my conclusion and thought would be wow he sure likes hot wings, or maybe he was very hungry.

Someone else can watch it and say guy eating hot wings, probably a rednack probably gets drunk and beats his wife.

And I'm going HUH, where the hell did that come from?

I understand every person views the world through their own lens, and views the world through their experiences which are unique, and their own mental state. But if you essentially can't with any accuracy predict what someone is thinking why is TOM given such exalted status?

You can't read a person's mind

But you could have a general idea about how another person is feeling--based both upon what the person says, and how the person uses his/her "body language."

"Theory of Mind" is also the ability to know that people might have different opinions than yours on any given topic.

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but you may want to read up on Piaget's cognitive theory of development while specifically focusing on egocentrism. It may answer any questions you have about theory of mind.

It's my observation...but I think a lot of people on the spectrum 'feel' that they're thinking logically, but it doesn't look or feel logical to others - that actually they're using the same kind of biased, life-experienced, and even emotional thinking that other people do but they *think* it's logic. And because of TOM deficit (that someone else may have the same input but come to a different conclusion or may have slightly different input because of a different perspective and therefore come to a different conclusion) - it feels like since they've used 'logical' input and everyone else has the same kind of input the other people must be 'wrong'.

TOM helps you understand how someone might react or behave in certain circumstances - but no one is a mind reader and no one is able to know all of the experiences that someone else has had or their 'operating assumptions'. Sometimes people are delusional though - sometimes people just behave irrationally. Even people who think they're logical behave irrationally.

In the hot wing example, that's not TOM, that's cultural stereotyping! Not all rednecks beat their wives. Not even all rednecks like hot wings. But all rednecks like Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Yes it is pretty much saying others can be illogical, or that they can be emotional at least.

The Sally-Ann test only deals with logic, but naturally an adult's theory of mind isn't complete without having some idea how people feel as well.

TOM is not so much knowing or being able to predict others point of view, but rather knowing that another's exists even if we don't comprehend it. So don't bother trying to figure people out or argue with them. Just add their input to the rest and leave it at that.