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Clin Soc Work J (2010) 38:450451
DOI 10.1007/s10615-010-0295-0
BOOK REVIEW
Fredric N. Busch (ed): Mentalization: Theoretical Considerations, Research Findings and Clinical Implications, Psychoanalytic Inquiry Book Series, Vol. 29
The Analytic Press, New York, 2008, 320 pages, $34.95
Thomas Golebiewski
Published online: 17 November 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Mentalization: Theoretical Considerations, Research Findings and Clinical Implications, edited by Fredric Busch, MD, provides an innovative approach to areas often struggled with around the concept of mentalization. The chapter authors are renowned experts in the psychoanalytic and research elds. Through this edited volume, Busch manages to illustrate and amplify the concept of mentalization. As detailed in the book, mentalization provides a new lens and opportunities to critically think, broaden, enhance and enrich technique and clinical practice and expand upon theory. The authors build upon a framework that questions deeply held old beliefs and presents useful applications of the concept of mentalization with scientifically grounded with empirical evidence. As new research should raise new questions, this work aptly does that, both in a qualitative and quantitative manner. This book does what good mentalization promotes: it holds minds in mind, taking in multiple perspectives cognitively, affectively and socially, and gives rise to new meaning, new questions, new insights and new controversies. The book will deepen the thinking of clinicians as well as researchers and move us towards new questions.
Mentalization is described by Fonagy and Allen as the bedrock human capacity to apprehend mind (p. XIX).
This simplied denition include a variety of functions. Stuart Twemlow frames the concept as the capacity for reection, to think through what youre about to do, rather than react; to consider complicated mental states related to self and others and to be empathic, to be aware of feeling and affect modulation as well as boundary denitions and management (personal communication, February 25,
2007). Mentalization presents a well-designed, sophisticated and masterful synthesis of the concept of mentalization and its application and relevance to the psychodynamically informed clinician and social scientist. This book claries, amplies and renes good mentalization and reective functioning and addresses core...