Mentalization Theory
Throughout life, we attempt to understand ourselves, the world, & people around us. To do this, we try to “mentalize” throughout our existence. Mentalization is the capacity to “think about thinking.” (Deussing, 2023).
Since it is so ordinary in its omnipresence, mentalization can be challenging to grasp as “the capacity that makes us human” (Allen et al., 2008).
The origins of the term mentalization can be traced back to the 1980s when increasing connections between psychoanalysis and attachment theory emerged. Object relation models that underscored an independent need for connection became dominant, reflecting an increasing awareness in psychoanalysis of the significance of infant development in the context of caregiver relationship (Fonagy et al., 2008).
Analysts like Peter Fonagy attempted to create a closer relationship between attachment theory and psychoanalysis through mentalization theory. The connections between psychoanalysis, mentalization, and internal working models created new ways to examine and evolve attachment theory (Mercer, 2006).
Allen et al. (2008) state “we are mentalizing when we are aware of mental states in ourselves or others — when we are thinking about feelings, for example” (p. 3), and that “the gist of mentalizing is holding mind-in-mind … More elaborately, we define mentalizing as imaginatively perceiving or interpreting behaviors as conjoined with intentional mental states” (p. 4).
Examples of mentalization are:
- Thinking about your emotions & thoughts.
- Empathizing with others.
- Having the ability to take a step outside yourself & comprehend how you affect the interdependent ecosystems you move through (Deussing, 2023).
Mentalization is a dynamic & multifaceted ability that is inextricably connected to relational attachment. It is a form of social cognition that is profoundly influenced by early attachment patterns & the caregiver’s ability to impart meaning to the infant’s internal states (Bowlby, 1988).
Mentalization is often taught by using “contingent mirroring” to communicate back to the infant. Contingent mirroring is reflecting back to the child what they’re experiencing without the reflection being clouded by the caregiver’s own emotions & feelings.
Mentalizing creates the ability to elevate awareness from singular individuality to the person-in-environment context that allows for the insight that the actions we choose profoundly affect others and our shared ecological systems.
The ability to hold different realities in mind strengthens clients’ mentalization capabilities, permitting them the choice to replace ineffective reactions with effective responses.
Mentalizing also helps clients break dysfunctional repetition cycles by making more consciously effective decisions that lead to larger transformational changes.
With mentalization, we can rewire our neuroplastic brains toward the penultimate DBT goal of “living a life worth living” (Linehan, 1993a). Cohn spoke to this: “Discussing choices made and choices neglected opens new possibilities [and] creates a place for change within therapy that, in my view, even the most meticulous reconstruction of the problem’s origin does not offer” (2002, p. 100).
Mentalization is an essential cognitive function. Without the ability to mentalize we would not have a sense of self, mutuality in relationships, or constructive social interactions (Daubney et al., 2015).
When an individual loses the ability to mentalize, their feelings get confused with others’ emotional experiences, which can create disconnections, distortions, projective identification(s), & ruptures (Rossouw, 2013).
Failure to mentalize can compromise one’s ability to understand their emotions along with others’ psychological states. The inability to mentalize makes it difficult to create & maintain healthy relationships.
There are three types of mentalization failures: (a) concrete, (b) pseudo, & (c) failures through misuse.
In concrete mentalization, thoughts & feelings fail to individuate from facts & they are equated to truths (e.g., “I think something, therefore, it’s true”).
Pseudo-mentalization is characterized by apparent awareness of mental states but no prominent features of a fully mature mentalization process (Esposito et al., 2022). In pseudo-mentalization, the individual has some certainty as to how others think or feel, but not a sense of true curiosity towards their lived experiences.
Lastly, mentalization failures occur through misuse. An example of misuse is when someone understands the feelings & thoughts of others but uses this knowledge in an exploitative way. This happens in the instance of a bully knowing others’ vulnerabilities, then using those weaknesses for their own selfish gain.
The process of mentalization plays a pivotal role in understanding your sense of self & navigating the world around you. Having a sense of self, mutuality in relationships, & constructive social interactions are examples of what we all have a right to in our lives.
By strengthening our mentalization skills we can minimize the potential of getting trapped in mentalization failures, & also know how to escape when ensnared.
By improving our mentalization, we can understand how to benefit not only ourselves, but the social worlds & systems around us. In this way, mentalization can generate transformations towards profound self-awareness & peaceful human interactions.
CITATION: Paul, J., Mayhew, M., Gulkan, I., & Deussing, C. (2024). Mentalization theory. Retrieved from: http://medium.com/p/642c473e2a6d
REFERENCES:
Allen, J., Fonagy, P., & Bateman, A. (2008). Mentalizing in clinical practice (1st ed.).
Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment &healthy human development.
Cohn, H. W. (2002). Heidegger and the roots of existential therapy. London: Continuum.
Deussing, C. (2023). Advanced DBT mechanisms of change.
Daubney, M., & Bateman, A. (2015). Mentalization-based therapy (MBT).
Esposito, G. et al., (2022). Pseudo-mentalization as a challenge for therapists of group psychotherapy with drug addicted patients.
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., & Target, M. (2008). Psychoanalytic constructs and attachment theory and research. In Cassidy, J., & Shaver P. R. (Eds.). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications, pp. 783–810. New York: Guilford Press.
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Mercer, J. (2006). Understanding attachment: Parenting, child care, and emotional development. Praeger Publishers.
Rossouw, T. (2013). Mentalization-based treatment: Can it be translated into practice in clinical settings & teams?
