Love reading about mentalizing. Hoping you can help me here. From the example above, I’m not sure why the non-mentalizing child would pick the blue cabinet. For that matter, I’m not sure why if the child picked the green cabinet, that would indicate the child was mentalizing.

As far as I’m concerned, if the child picked the blue cabinet, that would be called *mind reading*. Did I miss something from the example? Please help.

Sincerely,

Lisa

Do you have plans for writing a book about mentalizing for educated laypeople-like Coping With Trauma? I’ve read the Handbook that you wrote a chapter in and also Mentalizing in Clinical Practice (I hope I have that title correct)? Also, the other day, a professor asked me, what is the difference between identification and mentalizing. I was presenting a thesis idea that the Nazis couldn’t mentalize. I explained the theoretical basis of mentalizing-attachment, etc. But, an entire group of people-not all had been traumatized or probably couldn’t mentalize in other arenas of their lives. Clearly, it’s different but I can’t quite articulate it. Also, the “bystanders” were not mentalizing either. I read an article you wrote about evil. But, were they evil to begin with? Or, what shut off their mentalizing capacities. Perhaps, it’s the object or subject (group or person) who is to be mentalized. They didn’t want to keep the victim’s mind in mind?