@mastersthesis{bal2025literary,
  author = {Bal, Onur},
  title = {Literary Work Readership and Its Relationship with Mentalisation and Empathy},
  school = {Yeditepe University},
  year = {2025},
  type = {Master's thesis},
  url = {https://onurbal.com/en/academics/thesis/}
}

This section provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation for the present study by reviewing empirical and conceptual work at the intersection of social cognition, literary fiction, and psychological functioning. It begins by tracing the evolution of mental-state attribution research, from early conceptualisations of Theory of Mind (ToM) to more nuanced, multidimensional constructs such as mentalisation and empathy. These processes are examined as both cognitive and affective capacities that underlie interpersonal understanding. The review then presents key theoretical models (Theory-Theory, Simulation Theory, and Dual-Process frameworks) that explain how individuals understand others’ mental states, and considers how these processes may be activated and modulated through engagement with narrative fiction. Special emphasis is placed on literary fiction’s unique stylistic and psychological features, including foregrounding, character complexity, and defamiliarisation, which are posited to elicit deep empathic and reflective engagement. Short- and long-term empirical studies on fiction’s effects are critically evaluated, including work on moderators such as narrative transportation, reader traits, and emotional salience. Finally, the section examines emerging evidence from other narrative media, such as film and video games, and outlines the rationale for the current study’s focus on empathy, mentalisation, anxiety, and existential concerns in a Turkish university sample.

This section is divided into the following separate reading files.

• 2.1. From Attribution of Mental States to Mentalisation and Empathy
• 2.2. Theoretical Models of Social Cognition and Mentalisation
• 2.3. Narrative, Fiction, and the Transformative Power of Literary Fiction
• 2.4. Aim of the Study