Biographical context

Abstract

Fonagy has urged acknowledgement that ‘behind the shifts in theories, techniques, and application are individuals whose sense of identity and ways of viewing the world have profoundly altered’. This chapter offers three biographical snapshots, selected for their relevance for understanding the trajectory of Fonagy’s thinking, and the shift in psychological theory represented by the introduction of the concept of mentalization. The first will be Peter Fonagy’s experiences in the Fónagy household as a child in the 1950s. The second will be his psychoanalysis as a young man with Anne Hurry in the 1970s. Finally, close attention will be paid to Fonagy’s work with one of his early patients.