The Roles of Mental Representations and Mental Processes in Therapeutic Action

Fonagy, Peter; Moran, George S.; Edgcumbe, Rose; Kennedy, Hansi; Target, M

doi:10.1080/00797308.1993.11822377

Cited by 127 publications

(71 citation statements)

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“…Importantly, the concept of mentalizing addresses the psychoanalytic realm of defenses (Fonagy, Moran, Edgcumbe, Kennedy, & Target, 1993). Due to reduced reflective functioning and mentalizing ability, a person can misinterpret what they are feeling: that is, they can think that they are feeling one way but truly be feeling another (Fonagy et al, 2002).…”

Section: What Types Of Music Increase Empathy?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Music Increase Empathy? Interpreting Musical Experience Through the Empathizing–Systemizing (E-S) Theory: Implications for Autism

Greenberg

Rentfrow

Baron‐Cohen

2015

EMR

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Recent research has provided evidence that musical interaction can promote empathy. Yet little is known about the underlying intrapersonal and social psychological processes that are involved when this occurs. For example, which types of music increase empathy and which types decrease it; what role, if any, does empathy play in determining individual differences in musical preference, perception, and performance; or, how do these psychological underpinnings help explain the musical experiences of people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). To address these questions we employ the Empathizing-Systemizing (E-S) theory as a fruitful framework in which to understand these music-related phenomena. Specifically, we explore how individual differences in musical preference, perception, and performance can be explained by E-S theory. We provide examples from open-ended descriptions of strong musical experiences to demonstrate the ways in which empathy and music inter-relate. Importantly, we discuss the implications for the study of autism, and for how music therapists and clinicians can use music as a tool in their work with individuals diagnosed with ASC.Submitted 2014 April 29; accepted 2014 June 29. KEYWORDS: empathy, autism, musical preference, perception, performance EMPATHY is a fundamental feature of human interaction. It requires both cognitive (Dennett, 1989;Baron-Cohen, 1995) and affective (Davis, 1994) components that enable people to recognize the emotional and mental states of others, and to respond to these with appropriate emotions (Harris, Johnson, Hutton, Andrews, & Cooke, 1989;Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004). Empathy allows for the perception of another's thoughts and feelings, and allows one to predict how they will behave (Whiten, 1991). Music listening and performance, which is a universal feature of human behavior (Blacking, 1995), also requires components of cognitive and affective processing. We listen and are exposed to music for hours each day (Motion Picture Association of America, Inc, 2007;Rentfrow, 2012), during which time we perceive the emotional and psychological content in music; interpret the thoughts, feelings, and proficiency of the musicians from auditory and visual cues (Thompson, Russo, & Quinto, 2008;Tsay, 2013); respond emotively to the music and the musician (Juslin, & Västfjäll, 2008;Zentner, Grandjean, & Scherer, 2008), and can predict the direction of a melodic phrase or narrative. Empathy is thus connected with the perception, interpretation, and emotional reactions to music.However, only recently have researchers in the field of music, personality, and social psychology begun to focus on how music and empathy are linked. For example, Wöllner (2012) showed that people with higher levels of empathy are able to perceive and identify a musician's intentions with greater accuracy than those with lower levels, and Egermann and McAdams (2013) demonstrated that perceived and induced emotion from music is moderated by empathy. Further, not only does empathy influenc...

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Section: What Types Of Music Increase Empathy?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Music Increase Empathy? Interpreting Musical Experience Through the Empathizing–Systemizing (E-S) Theory: Implications for Autism

Greenberg

Rentfrow

Baron‐Cohen

2015

EMR

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“…There is a good deal of agreement between cognitive researchers and psychoanalysts that the mind's earliest origins are in the body (Altman, 2002;Aron, 1993;Bucci, 2002;Fonagy et al, 1993Fonagy et al, , 2002Freedman, 1977;Lecours and Bouchard, 1997;Levenson, 1998;Piaget, 1947;Ross, 2003;Santostefano, 1977;Stern, 2002;Sugarman and Jaffe, 1990;Wolff, 1960). Regardless of whether one speaks of a body ego, procedural systems, or sensorimotor thinking, the essential point is 'the central role of body action in the early formation of psychic structure' (Freedman, 1977, p. 112).…”

Section: The Importance Of Mental Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentalization, insightfulness, and therapeutic action: The importance of mental organization

Sugarman

2006

The International Journal of Psychoanalysis

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“…In these children, the problem is at the level of developing robust mental processes (Fonagy, Moran, Edgcumbe, Kennedy, & Target, 1993). Here, the problem is not that there is an intolerable representation in the child's mind; what is intolerable is to have a mind that is able to produce representations.…”

Section: Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

The Theory of Thinking and the Capacity to Mentalize: A Comparison of Fonagy's and Bion's Models

Lagos

2007

Span. J. Psychol.

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This paper presents a comparison of two psychoanalytic models of how human beings learn to use their mental capacities to know meaningfully about the world. The first, Fonagy's model of mentalization, is concerned with the development of a self capable of reflecting upon its own and others' mental states, based on feelings, thoughts, intentions, and desires. The other, Bion's model of thinking, is about the way thoughts are dealt with by babies, facilitating the construction of a thinking apparatus within a framework of primitive ways of communication between mother and baby. The theories are compared along three axes: (a) an axis of the theoretical and philosophical backgrounds of the models; (b) an axis of the kind of evidence that supports them; and (c) the third axis of the technical implications of the ideas of each model. It is concluded that, although the models belong to different theoretical and epistemological traditions and are supported by different sorts of evidence, they may be located along the same developmental line using an intersubjective framework that maintains tension between the intersubjective and the intrapsychic domains of the mind. Keywords: theory of mind, intersubjectivity, psychoanalysis, thinking, mentalization, Bion, FonagyEste artículo muestra la comparación entre dos modelos psicoanalíticos que dan cuenta de cómo los seres humanos alcanzan la posibilidad de usar sus capacidades mentales para conocer y comprender el mundo de un modo significativo. De un lado, el modelo de la mentalización de Fonagy se preocupa por el desarrollo de un sí mismo (self) capaz de reflexionar sobre los estados mentales propios y los de los demás, en términos de pensamientos, sentimientos y deseos. De otro lado, el modelo del pensamiento de Bion, se refiere al modo por el cual el bebé lidia con los pensamientos, y posibilita la construcción de un aparato para pensarlos y acceder a un entendimiento emocional de los mismos, dentro de un marco de comunicación primaria con la madre. Ambos modelos son comparados a través de tres ejes: (a) los antecedentes filosóficos y teóricos, (b) el tipo de evidencia, y (c) las implicaciones para la técnica psicoanalítica. Aunque ambos modelos pertenecen a diferentes tradiciones teóricas y epistemológicas, se concluye que las capacidades para pensar y mentalizar podrían ser ubicadas al interior de una misma línea de desarrollo. Para ello, es necesario utilizar un marco de referencia intersubjetivista, que sostenga la tensión entre los dominios intersubjetivos e intrapsíquicos de la mente. Palabras clave: teoría de la mente, intersubjetividad, psicoanálisis, pensamiento, mentalización, Bion, Fonagy

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The Roles of Mental Representations and Mental Processes in Therapeutic Action

Cited by 127 publications

References 16 publications

Can Music Increase Empathy? Interpreting Musical Experience Through the Empathizing–Systemizing (E-S) Theory: Implications for Autism

Can Music Increase Empathy? Interpreting Musical Experience Through the Empathizing–Systemizing (E-S) Theory: Implications for Autism

Mentalization, insightfulness, and therapeutic action: The importance of mental organization

The Theory of Thinking and the Capacity to Mentalize: A Comparison of Fonagy's and Bion's Models

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