Mentalising and Epistemic Trust

The theory of mentalizing and epistemic trust introduced by Peter Fonagy and colleagues at the Anna Freud Centre has been an important perspective on mental health and illness. This book is the first comprehensive account and evaluation of this perspective. The book explores 20 primary concepts that organize the contributions of Fonagy and colleagues: adaptation, aggression, the alien self, culture, disorganized attachment, epistemic trust, hypermentalizing, reflective function, the p-factor, pretend mode, the primary unconscious, psychic equivalence, mental illness, mentalizing, mentalization-based therapy, non-mentalizing, the self, sexuality, the social environment, and teleological mode. The biographical and social context of the development of these ideas is examined. The book also specifies the current strengths and limitations of the theory of mentalizing and epistemic trust, with attention to the implications for both clinicians and researchers.

Mentalization in transition

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.

Mentalizing in development

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.

Configurations of Mother-Child and Father-Child Attachment as Predictors of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: An Individual Participant Data (IPD) Meta?Analysis

An unsettled question in attachment theory and research is the extent to which children’s attachment patterns with mothers and fathers jointly predict developmental outcomes. In this study, we used individual participant data meta-analysis to assess whether early attachment networks with mothers and fathers are associated with children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Following a pre-registered protocol, data from 9 studies and 1,097 children (mean age: 28.67 months) with attachment classifications to both mothers and fathers were included in analyses. We used a linear mixed effects analysis to assess differences in children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms as assessed via the average of both maternal and paternal reports based on whether children had two, one, or no insecure (or disorganized) attachments. Results indicated that children with an insecure attachment relationship with one or both parents were at higher risk for elevated internalizing symptomatology compared with children who were securely attached to both parents. Children whose attachment relationships with both parents were classified as disorganized had more externalizing symptoms compared to children with either one or no disorganized attachment relationship with their parents. Across attachment classification networks and symptoms, findings suggest (a) a multiplicative effect when children have insecure or disorganized attachment to both parents, and (b) that mother-child and father-child attachment relationships may not differ in the roles they play in children’s development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

TRAUMA DAN KELEKATAN PADA INDIVIDU DEWASA YANG MENYAKSIKAN KDRT: KEPRIBADIAN SEBAGAI MODERATOR

Witnessing IPV is traumatic. Trauma affect children’s attachment toward their parents. Earlier attachment affect adult attachment toward intimate partners. Personality is a interpersonal-related construct that predict variations of adult attachment. This study aims to measure the effect of childhood trauma and personality on adult attachment, whose participants are adults who witnessed IPV as child. This study also aims to prove whether personality can be a moderating variable between childhood trauma and adult attachment. There are 191 respondents aged 18-40, their responses obtained through online survey. The scales used are Traumatic Antecedent Questionnaire (TAQ), Big Five Inventory (BFI), State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) and Adult Disorganized Attachment (ADA). Data is analyzed with regression and interaction test. Effects of competency as protective factor against trauma on secure attachment is strengthened by conscientiousness and extraversion. Anxious attachment is predicted by agreeableness. Conscientiousness and openness to experience predict avoidant attachment. Last, history of sexual abuse predicts disorganized attachment.Menyaksikan KDRT adalah pengalaman yang traumatis bagi anak. Trauma tersebut dapat mempengaruhi kelekatan anak terhadap orangtua. Kelekatan sebelumnya akan mempengaruhi kelekatan dewasa, yaitu kelekatan terhadap pasangan. Kepribadian adalah konstruk yang berkaitan dengan relasi dan dapat memprediksi jenis kelekatan dewasa. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengukur pengaruh trauma masa kanak dan kepribadian terhadap kelekatan dewasa, dengan partisipan individu dewasa yang pernah menyaksikan KDRT. Penelitian ini juga bertujuan untuk membuktikan apakah kepribadian mampu menjadi variabel moderator antara pengaruh trauma masa kanak terhadap kelekatan dewasa. Sebanyak 191 subjek berusia 18-40 tahun diambil datanya dengan survei daring. Skala yang digunakan antara lain Traumatic Antecedent Questionnaire (TAQ), Big Five Inventory (BFI), State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) dan Adult Disorganized Attachment (ADA). Teknik analisis menggunkan regresi dan uji interaksi. Hasilnya, pengaruh kompetensi sebagai faktor protektif trauma terhadap kelekatan aman diperkuat oleh extraversion dan conscientiousness. Kelekatan cemas diprediksi oleh agreeableness. Conscientiousness dan openness to experience memprediksi kelekatan menghindar. Terakhir, kekerasan seksual adalah prediktor tunggal dari kelekatan disorganisasi.

Styles and Present Dimensions of Attachment in University Students

The objective of the present study is to evaluate and analyze styles and dimensions of attachment, its possible relations and how they become evident in the people involved in this study, For accomplishing it, a quantitative focus methodology was applied of descriptive type and crosscut, in which 105 Clinical Psychology university career students participated. The CaMir-R questionnaire was applied to evaluate the different styles and dimensions of attachment. In regard to the main found results it can be mentioned that - as much in men as in women -. the disorganized attachment is the most representative, followed by safe attachment. In turn, there exists a significant difference established by gender in these dimensions: family worry, parental permissiveness and infantile traumatism; In addition, as much positive correlations like refusals ones among the renowned dimensions were observed, where bulges out the positive link of self-sufficiency and resentment against the parents with the infantile traumatism. It came to an end that the dependence between the type of relation and the predisposal of offering a sure attachment on behalf of the progenitor, it will generate in the person an atmosphere of satisfaction and a capacity to face the penalties of life everyday.

Attachment Representation and Emotion Recognition Ability in Children with ADHD and Their Parents: A Study Protocol

Background: Few studies in clinical attachment research to date have examined children with an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. This is surprising for two reasons: first, there are a number of parallels between the behaviors of children with an insecure and disorganized attachment and the behaviors of children with an ADHD diagnosis. Second, secure attachment has a positive effect on the development of skills in areas in which children with ADHD demonstrate problems (e.g., attention span, impulse control). There are currently no findings on whether or not and how insecure and disorganized attachment and ADHD affect children’s emotion recognition ability. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, part exploratory and part hypothesis-driven in the context of basic research. A clinical sample of 5- to 10-year-old children with an ADHD diagnosis and their parents is to be compared to a non-clinical unaffected control group. Over a period of 3 years, 80 subjects and their parents are to be recruited in each group for participation in the study. Discussion: This study is the first to examine links between attachment, emotion recognition ability, and ADHD. It is also the first to include not just children with ADHD but also their mothers and fathers in its design. The findings should help reduce the research gap and generate more knowledge for family interventions in the case of ADHD.