Representational and Encoding Processes: Dissociated Mode of Mentalization

The model of mentalization provides a formulation for normal development of modes of experience and psychopathology. Mentalization refers to the capacity to reflect and interpret one’s own behavior and the behavior of others, as caused by intentional internal mental states such as thoughts, feelings, and beliefs (Fonagy et al. 1998). The domain of mentalization is multifaceted, including four dimensions: implicit/explicit, cognitive/affective, internally/externally-based mentalization, and mentalizing self/others’ experiences (Fonagy and Luyten 2009).

The ability to mentalize develops from three early modes of representing the internal world: In the earliest, the psychic equivalence mode, the infant does not differentiate between internal and external, his or her mind with the minds of others. In the pretend mode, the child is able to maintain an “as if” private reality totally dissociated from the shared external world. The teleological mode is a mode of thinking that equates desires and feelings with observable physical behavior.

A major factor in helping children arrive at the reflective mode is the caregiver’s accurate and “marked”/differentiated mirroring of the infant’s subjective experiences in a secure attachment relationship (Fonagy et al. 2002). The process of symbolization and differentiation is operationalized in the Reflective Function (RF) Scale (Fonagy et al. 1998), which assesses mentalization developmental level, but not the aspect of accuracy. We therefore suggest adding to the scale a dimension for assessing modes and psychopathology of mentalization based on the model of social cognition designed by Dodge and Rabiner (2004): accurate encoding of reality vs. representational processes. This model of social information processing and adjustment maintains that interpersonal interactions activate mental processes. Of these, we focused on the first two levels: processes involved in encoding social cues and representational and interpretation processes regarding self and parents.