Mentalization in transition

Abstract

Increasingly over the 2000s, Fonagy and colleagues became increasingly dissatisfied with their initial model, identifying that the concept of ‘mentalization’ was too absorptive and that they had placed too much weight on early childhood experiences and the role of disorganized attachment. Attempts to correct these problems led to a revised and more mature account of forms of mentalizing. In this chapter, we will trace these developments of the 2000s, paying particular attention to Fonagy and Luyten’s 2009 account of four dimensions of mentalizing. The chapter will close by attempting to discern the underpinning logic of the concept of mentalization across its diverse uses and definitions. A single synthesized definition will also be proposed.