As a mental health clinician, I have my own biases and blind spots that I need to stay on top of and continually grow and educate myself. At the same time, therapists encounter the beliefs of our clients, which sometimes edge into the realm of prejudice or even explicit racism or bigotry. It’s uncomfortable. Often we freeze, sometimes we push back, other times we might question whether we can in good conscious continue to work with the client.

Back in June of 2021, after several years of political polarization, the first year of the pandemic, and the expansion of several social justice movements including Black Lives Matter, I decided to think about the universal propensity for bigotry through the lens of mentalization.

Mentalization is a concept studied and applied to psychological treatment by Peter Fonagy, a UK-based psychoanalyst and researcher, John Allen, also UK-based, and psychiatrist and psychotherapist. In this video, Dr. Fonagy defines mentalization and its relevance to all the ways we relate to others, expanding on the idea that as humans we need to be aware of our mental states – our moods, feelings, beliefs, and needs – and the mental states of others. When there are lapses in our mentalization capacities, such as when we are stressed, overwhelmed, in large groups, or in active conflict, we are more likely to fail at mentalizing ourselves and others.

In my June 2021 article published in the Pennsylvania Psychologist, I explore the idea that bigotry can be understood as failures in mentalization. By conceptualizing it this way, and thus allowing therapists to understand the roots of bigotry, we have some pathways to address it with compassion and efficacy. Read the article here: Conceptualizing Bigotry as Failures in Mentalization: A Potential Road Map for Impactful Therapeutic Responsiveness.