Learn about mentalising in South Africa, exploring its link to attachment, personality, and psychotherapy for psychologists.
This first course in a three-part series introduces South African psychologists to mentalising, the ability to understand one's own and others' mental states, and how it emerges in early development. It explores how mentalising capacity is established within secure and insecure attachment, and how disruption is linked to personality disorders and impaired emotional functioning. The course outlines three capacities that underpin an integrated personality: mentalising, affect regulation, and attention and impulse control. It draws on Bowlby, Winnicott, Bion, Bateman and Fonagy. The course is accredited by the HPCSA for CPD points and offers solid grounding in developmental psychopathology.
In this first talk of a three-part series, participants are introduced to the foundational concepts of mentalising—the ability to understand one’s own and others’ mental states—and how it emerges in early development. This talk offers an in-depth exploration of how mentalising capacity is established in the context of secure versus insecure attachment, and how disruptions in this process are linked to the emergence of personality disorders and impaired emotional functioning.
The talk outlines the developmental origins of three core psychological capacities that underpin an integrated personality:
Mentalising (reflective function)
Affect regulation
Attention and impulse control
These capacities are discussed through the lens of early attachment relationships, particularly the infant-caregiver dyad. The theoretical framework draws on key thinkers in psychoanalytic and attachment theory, including John Bowlby, Donald Winnicott, Wilfred Bion, and contemporary leaders in the field of mentalization, Anthony Bateman and Peter Fonagy.
This talk provides a rich theoretical grounding for psychologists, psychotherapists, and mental health professionals interested in deepening their understanding of developmental psychopathology and therapeutic approaches that enhance reflective functioning.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
Define the concept of mentalising and its relevance to psychological health
Describe how secure and insecure attachments influence the development of mentalising capacity
Explain the interplay between mentalising, affect regulation, and impulse control in the formation of personality
Identify key theoretical contributions from Bowlby, Winnicott, Bion, Bateman, and Fonagy
Recognise early developmental pathways associated with personality disorders and impaired reflective function