148:
their children, themselves as parents, and their relationships with their children. An efficient self-report measure of
Parental Mentalization is the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) created by Patrick Luyten and colleagues. The PRFQ is a brief, multidimensional assessment of parental reflective functioning (mentalization), aimed to be easy to administer to parents in a wide range of socioeconomic populations. The PRFQ is recommended for use as a screening tool for studies with large populations and does not aim to replace more comprehensive measures, such as the PDI or observer-based measures.
184:
controlled smoothly occur when misunderstandings arise in a conversation or social setting, to put things right. Inability to shift from automatic mentalization can lead to a simplistic, one-sided view of the world, especially when emotions run high; while conversely inability to leave controlled mentalization leaves one trapped in a 'heavy', endlessly ruminative thought-mode.
139:
suggestion that genuine parental mentalization is beneficial to child learning; when a child feels they are being viewed as an intentional agent, they feel contingently responded to, which promotes epistemic trust and triggers learning in the form of natural pedagogy - this increases the quality of learning in the child. This theory needs further empirical support.
155:
strategies in a non-clinical sample, finding that impairments in mentalizing negatively predicted well-being and positively predicted emotional suppression over one year. Research has also found a link between dopamine levels and the ability to mentalize. In particular, reducing dopamine activity in
147:
Mentalization or better mentalizing, has a number of different facets which can be measured with various methods. A prominent method of assessment of
Parental Mentalization is the Parental Development Interview (PDI), a 45-question semi-structured interview, investigating parents’ representations of
138:
the states of their own and other people's minds. Early childhood exposure to mentalization can protect the individual from psychosocial adversity. This early childhood exposure to genuine parental mentalization fosters development of mentalizing capabilities in the child themselves. There is also
133:
and self-development. According to Peter Fonagy, individuals with disorganized attachment style (e.g., due to physical, psychological, or sexual abuse) can have greater difficulty developing the ability to mentalize. Attachment history partially determines the strength of mentalizing capacity of
183:
Automatic/Controlled. Automatic (or implicit) mentalizing is a fast-processing unreflective process, calling for little conscious effort or input; whereas controlled mentalization (explicit) is slow, effortful, and demanding of full awareness. In a balanced personality, shifts from automatic to
443:
Grienenberger, JF; Kelly, K; Slade, A (2005). "Maternal reflective functioning, mother-infant affective communication, and infant attachment: Exploring the link between mental states and observed caregiving behavior in the intergenerational transmission of attachment".
46:, beliefs, goals, purposes, and reasons). It is sometimes described as "understanding misunderstanding." Another term that David Wallin has used for mentalization is "Thinking about thinking". Mentalization can occur either automatically or consciously.
134:
individuals. Securely attached individuals tend to have had a primary caregiver that has more complex and sophisticated mentalizing abilities. As a consequence, these children possess more robust capacities to
201:
Cognitive/Affective are in balance when both dimensions are engaged, as opposed to either an excessive certainty about one's own one-sided ideas, or an overwhelming of thought by floods of emotion.
729:
179:
Each dimension can be exercised in either a balanced or unbalanced way, while effective mentalization also requires a balanced perspective across all four dimensions.
524:"Traumatized mothers can change their minds about their toddlers: Understanding how a novel use of videofeedback supports positive change of maternal attributions"
348:
Wimmer, H.; Perner, J. (1983). "Beliefs about beliefs: Representation and constraining function of wrong beliefs in young children's understanding of deception".
487:
Lieberman, A.F.; Van Horn, P.; Ippen, C.G. (2005). "Towards evidence-based treatment: Child-parent psychotherapy with preschoolers exposed to marital violence".
318:
281:
522:
Schechter, DS; Myers, MM; Brunelli, SA; Coates, SW; Zeanah, CH; Davies, M; Grienenberger, JF; Marshall, RD; McCaw, JE; Trabka, KA; Liebowitz, MR (2006).
212:
187:
Self/Other involves the ability to mentalize about one's own state of mind, as well as about that of another. Lack of balance means an overemphasis on
176:, mentalization takes place along a series of four parameters or dimensions: Automatic/Controlled, Self/Other, Inner/Outer, and Cognitive/Affective.
257:
304:
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E.L., Target, M. (2002). Affect regulation, mentalization and the development of the self. New York; Other Press
1040:
71:
67:
113:
relationships gone awry. More recently, several child mental health researchers such as
Arietta Slade, John Grienenberger, Alicia Lieberman,
97:, building on the Wimmer and Perner study, and others merged it with research on the psychological and biological mechanisms underlying
198:
Inner/Outer: Here problems can arise from an over-emphasis on external conditions, and a neglect of one's own feelings and experience.
790:
121:
have applied mentalization both to research on parenting and to clinical interventions with parents, infants, and young children.
42:
mental activity that lets us perceive and interpret human behaviour in terms of intentional mental states (e.g., needs, desires,
875:"Mentalizing as a Predictor of Well-Being and Emotion Regulation: Longitudinal Evidence from a Community Sample of Young Adults"
1024:
Doherty, M.J. (2009). Theory of Mind: How
Children Understand Others' Thoughts and Feelings. Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
1109:
326:
169:
1114:
390:
Allen, J. P., Fonagy, P. (Eds.), Handbook of
Mentalization-Based Treatment. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons
288:
693:
Scopesi, A (2015). "Mentalizing
Abilities in Preadolescents' and Their Mothers' Autobiographical Narratives".
909:
601:
217:
528:
644:"Are maternal reflective functioning and attachment security associated with preadolescent mentalization?"
135:
873:
Schwarzer, Nicola-Hans; Heim, Nikolas; Gingelmaier, Stephan; Fonagy, Peter; Nolte, Tobias (2024-06-14).
263:
1021:
Apperly, I. (2010). Mindreaders: The
Cognitive Basis of "Theory of Mind". Hove, UK: Psychology Press.
156:
healthy individuals using the drug haloperidol impaired their mentalizing abilities, suggesting that
319:"An Interview with David Wallin, Ph.D. on the Implications of Attachment Theory for Psychotherapy"
110:
282:"Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder. Workshop on Mentalisation Based Treatment"
874:
770:
34:
is the ability to understand the mental state – of oneself or others – that underlies overt
1060:
827:
816:"The parental reflective functioning questionnaire: Development and preliminary validation"
8:
227:
1064:
831:
1083:
1048:
850:
815:
710:
670:
643:
550:
523:
500:
469:
425:
373:
152:
1088:
1034:
890:
855:
752:
714:
675:
624:
555:
504:
461:
417:
365:
361:
130:
90:
20:
473:
429:
377:
259:
Mentalization-Based
Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Practical Guide
1078:
1068:
882:
845:
835:
744:
702:
665:
655:
616:
582:
545:
537:
496:
453:
409:
357:
232:
151:
A 2024 study investigated the longitudinal impact of mentalizing on well-being and
114:
1073:
840:
573:
Coates, S.W. (1998). "Having a Mind of One's Own and
Holding the Other In Mind".
83:
79:
63:
55:
886:
586:
457:
413:
1103:
894:
730:"The role of mentalizing and epistemic trust in the therapeutic relationship"
706:
660:
222:
109:
and colleagues applied it to developmental psychopathology in the context of
102:
1092:
859:
756:
679:
628:
559:
508:
465:
421:
314:
253:
118:
106:
75:
369:
66:
literature in the late 1960s, and became empirically tested in 1983 when
39:
620:
541:
27:
748:
400:
Slade, A (2005). "Parental reflective functioning: An introduction".
94:
74:
ran the first experiment to investigate when children can understand
59:
35:
157:
489:
Journal of the
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
1047:
Norenzayan, Ara; Gervais, Will M.; Trzesniewski, Kali H. (2012).
43:
307:
98:
872:
602:"Mechanisms of change in mentalization-based treatment of BPD"
1046:
521:
279:
251:
791:"The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ)"
325:(Interview). Interviewed by David Van Nuys. Archived from
16:
Ability to understand mental state that underlies behavior
1049:"Mentalizing Deficits Constrain Belief in a Personal God"
813:
160:
plays a direct role in these social cognitive processes.
1041:
Mentalization factoids – compiled by Frederick Leonhardt
442:
486:
641:
814:
Luyten, P; Mayes, L; Nijssens, L; Fonagy, P (2017).
910:"Dopamine disruption impairs mentalizing abilities"
266:on 2007-12-31 – via UCL Psychoanalysis Unit.
213:Adaptive mentalization-based integrative treatment
1007:Handbook of Mentalizing in Mental Health Practice
978:Handbook of Mentalizing in Mental Health Practice
939:Handbook of Mentalizing in Mental Health Practice
262:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from
174:Handbook of Mentalizing in Mental Health Practice
1101:
62:, the specific term 'mentalization' emerged in
19:"Mentalize" redirects here. For the album, see
89:The field diversified in the early 1990s when
727:
599:
642:Rosso, AM; Viterbori, P; Scopesi, A (2015).
347:
1082:
1072:
849:
839:
669:
659:
549:
38:. Mentalization can be seen as a form of
933:
931:
929:
988:
986:
692:
1102:
572:
313:
280:Anthony Bateman; Peter Fonagy (2007).
163:
926:
907:
399:
275:
273:
983:
129:Mentalization has implications for
13:
1015:
771:"The Parent Development Interview"
501:10.1097/01.chi.0000181047.59702.58
446:Attachment & Human Development
270:
14:
1126:
1028:
58:has been explored at least since
402:Attachment and Human Development
170:American Psychiatric Association
999:
970:
957:
944:
901:
866:
807:
783:
763:
721:
686:
635:
600:Fonagy, P; Bateman, AW (2006).
593:
566:
515:
124:
728:Fonagy, P; Allison, P (2014).
480:
436:
393:
384:
341:
298:
287:(Presentation). Archived from
245:
1:
1043:. A summary of mentalization.
908:Dolan, Eric W. (2024-07-22).
239:
218:Mentalization based treatment
54:While the broader concept of
49:
1074:10.1371/journal.pone.0036880
841:10.1371/journal.pone.0176218
695:Journal of Early Adolescence
529:Infant Mental Health Journal
362:10.1016/0010-0277(83)90004-5
7:
205:
142:
10:
1131:
1035:Anthony Bateman's homepage
994:The Mentalization Handbook
965:The Mentalization Handbook
952:The Mentalization Handbook
18:
914:PsyPost - Psychology News
887:10.1177/00332941241261902
587:10.1080/10481889809539236
458:10.1080/14616730500245963
414:10.1080/14616730500245906
1110:Developmental psychology
707:10.1177/0272431614535091
661:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01134
575:Psychoanalytic Dialogues
648:Frontiers in Psychology
82:'s interpretation of a
1115:Psychological concepts
879:Psychological Reports
1065:2012PLoSO...736880N
832:2017PLoSO..1276218L
228:Psychic equivalence
164:Fourfold dimensions
795:UCL Psychoanalysis
621:10.1002/jclp.20241
542:10.1002/imhj.20101
153:emotion regulation
495:(12): 1241–1248.
252:Anthony Bateman;
168:According to the
131:attachment theory
105:. Concomitantly,
91:Simon Baron-Cohen
21:Mentalize (album)
1122:
1096:
1086:
1076:
1010:
1003:
997:
990:
981:
974:
968:
961:
955:
948:
942:
935:
924:
923:
921:
920:
905:
899:
898:
870:
864:
863:
853:
843:
811:
805:
804:
802:
801:
787:
781:
780:
778:
777:
767:
761:
760:
749:10.1037/a0036505
734:
725:
719:
718:
690:
684:
683:
673:
663:
639:
633:
632:
606:
597:
591:
590:
570:
564:
563:
553:
519:
513:
512:
484:
478:
477:
440:
434:
433:
397:
391:
388:
382:
381:
345:
339:
338:
336:
334:
317:(13 July 2009).
311:
305:
302:
296:
295:
293:
286:
277:
268:
267:
249:
233:Social cognition
115:Daniel Schechter
1130:
1129:
1125:
1124:
1123:
1121:
1120:
1119:
1100:
1099:
1031:
1018:
1016:Further reading
1013:
1004:
1000:
991:
984:
975:
971:
962:
958:
949:
945:
936:
927:
918:
916:
906:
902:
871:
867:
812:
808:
799:
797:
789:
788:
784:
775:
773:
769:
768:
764:
732:
726:
722:
691:
687:
640:
636:
604:
598:
594:
571:
567:
520:
516:
485:
481:
441:
437:
398:
394:
389:
385:
346:
342:
332:
330:
312:
308:
303:
299:
291:
284:
278:
271:
250:
246:
242:
237:
208:
166:
145:
127:
52:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1128:
1118:
1117:
1112:
1098:
1097:
1044:
1038:
1030:
1029:External links
1027:
1026:
1025:
1022:
1017:
1014:
1012:
1011:
998:
992:J Hagelquist,
982:
969:
963:J Hagelquist,
956:
954:(2016) p. 52-3
950:J Hagelquist,
943:
925:
900:
865:
806:
782:
762:
743:(3): 372–380.
720:
701:(4): 467–483.
685:
634:
609:J Clin Psychol
592:
565:
536:(5): 429–448.
514:
479:
452:(3): 299–311.
435:
408:(3): 269–283.
392:
383:
356:(1): 103–128.
340:
323:mentalhelp.net
306:
297:
294:on 2007-08-12.
269:
243:
241:
238:
236:
235:
230:
225:
220:
215:
209:
207:
204:
203:
202:
199:
196:
185:
165:
162:
144:
141:
126:
123:
84:Punch and Judy
80:Daniel Dennett
78:, inspired by
64:psychoanalytic
56:theory of mind
51:
48:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1127:
1116:
1113:
1111:
1108:
1107:
1105:
1094:
1090:
1085:
1080:
1075:
1070:
1066:
1062:
1059:(5): e36880.
1058:
1054:
1050:
1045:
1042:
1039:
1036:
1033:
1032:
1023:
1020:
1019:
1008:
1002:
995:
989:
987:
979:
973:
966:
960:
953:
947:
940:
934:
932:
930:
915:
911:
904:
896:
892:
888:
884:
880:
876:
869:
861:
857:
852:
847:
842:
837:
833:
829:
825:
821:
817:
810:
796:
792:
786:
772:
766:
758:
754:
750:
746:
742:
738:
737:Psychotherapy
731:
724:
716:
712:
708:
704:
700:
696:
689:
681:
677:
672:
667:
662:
657:
653:
649:
645:
638:
630:
626:
622:
618:
615:(4): 411–30.
614:
610:
603:
596:
588:
584:
580:
576:
569:
561:
557:
552:
547:
543:
539:
535:
531:
530:
525:
518:
510:
506:
502:
498:
494:
490:
483:
475:
471:
467:
463:
459:
455:
451:
447:
439:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
407:
403:
396:
387:
379:
375:
371:
367:
363:
359:
355:
351:
344:
329:on 2011-10-01
328:
324:
320:
316:
315:Wallin, David
310:
301:
290:
283:
276:
274:
265:
261:
260:
255:
248:
244:
234:
231:
229:
226:
224:
223:Metacognition
221:
219:
216:
214:
211:
210:
200:
197:
194:
190:
186:
182:
181:
180:
177:
175:
171:
161:
159:
154:
149:
140:
137:
132:
122:
120:
116:
112:
108:
104:
103:schizophrenia
100:
96:
92:
87:
85:
81:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
47:
45:
41:
37:
33:
32:mentalization
29:
22:
1056:
1052:
1009:(2016) p. 49
1006:
1001:
996:(2016) p. 52
993:
977:
972:
967:(2016) p. 53
964:
959:
951:
946:
938:
917:. Retrieved
913:
903:
878:
868:
823:
819:
809:
798:. Retrieved
794:
785:
774:. Retrieved
765:
740:
736:
723:
698:
694:
688:
651:
647:
637:
612:
608:
595:
578:
574:
568:
533:
527:
517:
492:
488:
482:
449:
445:
438:
405:
401:
395:
386:
353:
349:
343:
331:. Retrieved
327:the original
322:
309:
300:
289:the original
264:the original
258:
254:Peter Fonagy
247:
192:
188:
178:
173:
167:
150:
146:
128:
125:Implications
119:Susan Coates
107:Peter Fonagy
88:
76:false belief
72:Josef Perner
68:Heinz Wimmer
53:
31:
25:
1005:A Bateman,
980:(2016) p.10
976:A Bateman,
941:(2016) p. 8
937:A Bateman,
826:(5): 1–28.
581:: 115–148.
40:imaginative
1104:Categories
919:2024-07-25
800:2019-02-18
776:2019-02-18
240:References
111:attachment
50:Background
28:psychology
895:0033-2941
715:144856420
350:Cognition
136:represent
95:Uta Frith
60:Descartes
36:behaviour
1093:22666332
1053:PLOS ONE
860:28472162
820:PLOS ONE
757:24773092
680:26300824
654:: 1–12.
629:16470710
560:18007960
509:16292115
474:33111945
466:16210241
430:36370231
422:16210239
378:17014009
256:(2006).
206:See also
158:dopamine
143:Research
44:feelings
1084:3364254
1061:Bibcode
851:5417431
828:Bibcode
671:4523702
551:2078524
370:6681741
86:scene.
1091:
1081:
893:
858:
848:
755:
713:
678:
668:
627:
558:
548:
507:
472:
464:
428:
420:
376:
368:
333:22 Apr
195:other.
189:either
117:, and
99:autism
733:(PDF)
711:S2CID
605:(PDF)
470:S2CID
426:S2CID
374:S2CID
292:(PDF)
285:(PDF)
191:self
1089:PMID
891:ISSN
856:PMID
753:PMID
676:PMID
625:PMID
556:PMID
505:PMID
462:PMID
418:PMID
366:PMID
335:2011
101:and
93:and
70:and
1079:PMC
1069:doi
883:doi
846:PMC
836:doi
745:doi
703:doi
666:PMC
656:doi
617:doi
583:doi
546:PMC
538:doi
497:doi
454:doi
410:doi
358:doi
172:'s
26:In
1106::
1087:.
1077:.
1067:.
1055:.
1051:.
985:^
928:^
912:.
889:.
881:.
877:.
854:.
844:.
834:.
824:12
822:.
818:.
793:.
751:.
741:51
739:.
735:.
709:.
699:35
697:.
674:.
664:.
650:.
646:.
623:.
613:62
611:.
607:.
577:.
554:.
544:.
534:27
532:.
526:.
503:.
493:44
491:.
468:.
460:.
448:.
424:.
416:.
404:.
372:.
364:.
354:13
352:.
321:.
272:^
193:or
30:,
1095:.
1071::
1063::
1057:7
1037:.
922:.
897:.
885::
862:.
838::
830::
803:.
779:.
759:.
747::
717:.
705::
682:.
658::
652:6
631:.
619::
589:.
585::
579:8
562:.
540::
511:.
499::
476:.
456::
450:7
432:.
412::
406:7
380:.
360::
337:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.