Mentalization, attachment, and defense mechanisms: a Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual-2-oriented empirical investigation

Mentalizing capacities depends on the quality of primary attachment interactions with caregivers who thinks child as a subject mental states. Operationalized reflective functioning, mentalization is crucial for regulating emotions and developing coherent sense identity, interacting individuals making to own others states, distinguishing internal external realities without distortions. Although clinical literature interplay between mentalization, attachment, emotional regulation rich, empirical research limited. This study sought explore connections styles, implicit emotion regulation, operationalized defense mechanisms, in group depressive patients. Twenty-eight patients were interviewed using adult interview (AAI) diagnosed Psychodynamic Chart-2 Diagnostic Manual, Second Edition. The functioning scale mechanisms rating Q-sort applied AAI transcriptions assess defensive profile. Patients secure showed significantly higher levels overall compared those insecure attachment. Good correlated mature defenses specific that serve better affective Overall, relationship lay foundations delineation profiles associated patterns systematic assessment these psychological dimensions gold-standard tools may help tailoring personalized therapeutic interventions promoting more effective treatments.