Table 1.

Psychological Concepts Related to Mentalizing

Psychological Concept	Relationship to Mentalizing
Empathy	The ability to understand another’s emotions (Singer & Klimecki, 2014). Related to two dimensions of mentalizing: emotion and others.
Compassion	A feeling of caring for and desire to alleviate suffering in self and others (Gilbert, 2014; Dalai Lama, 2001; Neff, 2003). At minimum with regards to mentalization, implies an ability to explicitly identify the negative emotional states of oneself and others.
Metacognition	Refers to the ability to know and regulate one’s cognitive processes (Metcalfe & Shimamura, 1994). Focuses on the cognitive pole of mentalizing self.
Mindfulness	Attention to present moment experience, coupled with a nonjudgmental attitude (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Mindfulness of mental states may facilitate mentalizing (Allen, 2013).
Psychological Mindedness	Disposition to reflect on one’s own and others mental life (Appelbaum, 1973; Farber, 1985). Refers to the explicit, conscious and deliberate aspects of mentalizing (Choi-Kain & Gunderson, 2008).
Theory of Mind	The understanding that self and others have mental states (Premack & Woodruff, 1978). Theory of mind is necessary but not sufficient for mentalizing.