| Abstract: | Abstract The concept of mentalization (Fonagy, Steele, Moran, Steele, &; Higgitt, 1991 Fonagy, P., Steele, H., Moran, G., Steele, M. and Higgitt, A. 1991. The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance of security of attachment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 13: 201–218. Crossref], Web of Science ®] , Google Scholar]) has been used to describe the way in which the child's ability to understand his own and others' minds crucially depends on the developmental opportunity to recognize himself as represented in the mind of another. Within the context of a case presented for supervision, this paper discusses the importance of mentalization or ‘reflective function’ in the development of the psychological self, drawing on recent attachment-related research. Peter Webber's film Girl with a Pearl Earring is also presented and discussed as illustration of the psychotherapeutic significance of searching for the individual's inner psychological potential. |
