What is Mentalizing?
Definitions matter...as does the process
Welcome to article one in this online guide. This article begins our attempt to define mentalizing!
The “dictionary definition” is as follows:
Mentalizing is used to understand the behaviors and reactions of others (as well as ours) in terms of intentions and mental states, such as thoughts, feelings, wishes, and intentions. Mentalizing facilitates relationships and has an important interpersonal interpretative function, as it helps us to understand the reactions of others in terms of what it communicates about their feelings, intentions, and wishes.
Ironically, it’s a clunky definition that evidences “mentalizing” a specific audience (other psychoanalysts who like wordy definitions).
The less clunky way to think about it, to me? Well, the ability to hold the mind in mind? The ability to recognize a joke was meant to be funny? The ability to not take everything literally? Those are all states in which our minds are mentalizing—holding a curious stance about minds in our mind.
It’s the state of not being so sure about minds. Mentalizing is a process—thinking about thinking —curiously.
The co-creator of mentalizing as a treatment is Peter Fonagy, PhD., the CEO of Anna Freud:
Dr. Espen Folmo created my favorite video that provides a brief overview of mentalizing treatment: