mentalizing
Reading others' minds
Mentalizing is the psychological process of understanding and interpreting behavior—one's own or others'—in terms of underlying mental states like beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions.
The term appears frequently in clinical psychology and neuroscience discussions of empathy, social cognition, and theory of mind.
Effective mentalizing helps us predict how others might react to difficult news.
Someone who struggles with mentalizing may misread social cues or fail to recognize why people behave as they do.
Understanding another's viewpoint
- mindreadingPerceiving others' thoughts directly
- intentionsPlanned purposes or goals
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
- desiresStrong wants or cravings
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
- rapportHarmonious mutual connection
warmth · caring · concern · fellow-feeling · kindness · consideration · altruism · benevolence
Examining one's own mind
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- self-analysisScrutinizing one's own psyche
self-observation · self-scrutiny · self-questioning · self-perception · soul-searching · self-inquiry · self-understanding · self-knowledge
Empathy-absent personality disorder
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- attachmentConnection or fondness
Visualizing nervous system structure
perspective-taking
Understanding another's viewpoint
- mindreadingPerceiving others' thoughts directly
- intentionsPlanned purposes or goals
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
compassion
Concern for others' distress
- sympathyCompassionate understanding of others
- understandingMental comprehension of something
- sensitivityResponsiveness to stimuli
rapport · warmth · caring · concern · fellow-feeling · kindness · consideration · altruism · benevolence · humanity
self-reflection
Examining one's own mind
- self-examinationScrutiny of one's thoughts
- self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
self-analysis · self-observation · self-scrutiny · self-questioning · self-perception · soul-searching · self-inquiry · self-understanding · self-knowledge · self-monitoring
psychopathy
Empathy-absent personality disorder
- schizophreniaPsychotic disorder with delusions
- attachmentConnection or fondness
neuroimaging
Visualizing nervous system structure
mentalizingmindblindness
Cannot infer mental states
behaviorism · behavioral analysis · objectifying · dehumanizing · physicalism
mind, mental, mentality, mentally, demented, mentalist, mentalism, mentation, mentalization