Mentalization: An Overview of the Concept

Anna Fitzgerald

doi:10.21697/ejhp.1709.03

Published: 2024-12-31

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2024)

Mentalization: An Overview of the Concept

Anna Fitzgerald

European Journal of Health Policy, Humanization of Care and Medical Ethics

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.21697/ejhp.1709.03

Abstract

The phenomenon of mentalization is currently widely discussed from various perspectives and approaches. This article is a short review of the creation and understanding of the concept from the perspective of various practices and needs and as a human ability that develops in early childhood. Mentalization is directly related to the theory of mind, which includes child and human development, and attachment theory, which provides the patterns for this ability. A person’s dimension within the spectrum of mentalization indicates a broader or more limited perception of reality, of what is happening to them, and of what influences others’ intentions. In other words, it involves how a person reads their situation and interprets what brought them to the point where they are and what intentions and reasons they attribute to the other person in a relationship. The dimensions of mentalization show in detail how its development in an individual affects various areas of observation and experience and, consequently, the individual’s perceived
well-being. By analyzing attachment styles in the development of mentalization, researchers can identify the influence and quality of mentalization in people with different attachment styles, indicating different scopes of mentalization. Naturally, the greatest quality is attributed to the secure attachment style. Mentalization as a function of traits presents a perspective on how different mental systems can coexist with each other, while simultaneously activating many styles and a range of thinking. Mentalization that develops incorrectly leads to psychopathology and most studies refer to borderline disorders. Finally, the article addresses the therapeutic aspect of psychotherapy and its impact on mentalization: its development, plasticity, and biological functions. This short introduction to the issue of mentalization, although it only approaches the entire depth of the topic, is a kind of inspiration to look at many aspects of mentalization and to explore them in the dimensions of human functioning mentioned in the literature.

Keywords:

mentalization, theory of mind, attachment style

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