mentalization.

Understanding behavior through possible thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• capacity for mentalization
• mentalization of behavior

On the page

The exercise encouraged mentalization rather than immediate blame.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, interpretation. Commonness: uncommon.