Examining different aspects of mentalization capacity among adolescents

Abstract

Mentalization is considered a core human capacity, necessary for personal awareness and reciprocal interaction (Bleiberg, 2013). The features of mentalizing in the important period of adolescence are not sufficiently studied. The current study examines mentalization in adolescents, investigating whether there are differences in the mentalizing ability of two diagnostic groups, externalizers vs internalizers, compared with each other, as well as those with no symptoms of psychopathology. With this aim, two main hypotheses were tested. The first hypothesis claims that adolescents with no symptoms of psychopathology will have better mentalization scores. The second hypothesis claims that there will be differences between the mentalization scores of internalizers and externalizers, internalizers being better mentalizers. In addition, the Turkish adaptation of the How I Feel Questionnaire and the Turkish version of the Youth Reflective Functioning Scale were administered. To test the hypotheses, a community sample of 700 high school students from Istanbul were reached and they completed several measurement tools. Both hypotheses were supported, indicating that mentalizing scores are worse when there are symptoms of psychopathology. The profiles of internalizers and externalizers were significantly different from each other in their mentalization scores. The community sample provides detailed information about the relation of mentalization and symptoms of psychopathology among adolescents, indicating that externalizers need support to develop mentalizing skills, whereas too much mentalizing can be associated with internalizing symptoms.