Chapter 11.Social Systems
Sections
Excerpt
Inasmuch as attachment relationships are the crucible for mentalizing, we have followed Bowlby’s (1988) lead in extrapolating from the mother-child relationship to the individual psychotherapy relationship: we strive to provide belated developmental help through a relationship that exploits the synergy between secure attachment and mentalizing. Yet, building on Fraiberg and colleagues’ (1975) pioneering work, we have gone beyond dyadic attachment relationships to consider how the therapist-parent relationship can be employed to promote mentalizing in the parent-infant relationship. In addition, we have described how therapists can promote mentalizing at a family system level. We also recognize, however, that influences on mentalizing extend beyond attachment relationships and the family: not only peer relationships but also the wider environment influences the refinement and use of whatever mentalizing capacities the individual has developed. Accordingly, there is a potential role for mentalizing interventions to extend beyond the individual and family to the wider social community.
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