Mentalizing in development

Abstract

In their 2003 book, Psychoanalytic Theories, Fonagy and Target observed critically that it is quite characteristic of psychological theories to have a primary concept or two with a host of meanings. This concept then serves in part as a symbol of collective endeavour. Over the past decade, they have acknowledged that this has been the case with the concept of ‘mentalizing’. To seek to understand the meanings of the concept, this chapter traces the emergence of the theory of mentalizing, the problems it was introduced to address, the theoretical perspective it encapsulated, and the clinical implications that stemmed from this perspective. It will then examine the development of the reflective functioning scale. The chapter will close with an analysis of some related ambiguities in the use of the concept of disorganized attachment by Fonagy and colleagues.