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Cited by 1,209Attachment and Relationship DynamicsPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology ResearchChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 28 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Parental reflective functioning: An introduction

Slade, Arietta·2005·Attachment & Human Development
DOI 10.1080/14616730500245906
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Abstract

Reflective functioning refers to the essential human capacity to understand behavior in light of underlying mental states and intentions. The construct, introduced by Fonagy, Steele, Steele, Moran, and Higgitt in 1991 Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Moran, G., Steele, H. and Higgitt, A. 1991. The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 13: 200–216. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], and elaborated by Fonagy and his colleagues over the course of the next decade, has had an enormous impact on developmental theory and clinical practice. This paper introduces the construct of parental reflective functioning, which refers to the parent's capacity to hold the child's mental states in mind, and begins with a review of Fonagy and his colleagues' essential ideas regarding the reflective function. Next, the applicability of this construct to parental representations of the child and the parent – child relationship is considered. A system for coding parental reflective functioning, which will serve as the organizing framework for this special issue, is described. Finally, the three papers that make up this special section are introduced.

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Crossref · 10.1080/14616730500245906

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Citations

Cites

Show all 28 references

Research works printed but not linked: 11

  1. Aber J. L., 1985, The Parent Development Interview
  2. Gergely G., 1996, International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 77, 1181
  3. Hartmann A., 1998, Links between maternal representations of the child, observed maternal behaviors, and the quality of dyadic engagement in play at 28 months
  4. Hermelin-Kuttner H., 1998, Maternal ego flexibility and the process of adaptation to motherhood: Conscious and unconscious aspects. Unpublished doctoral dissertation
  5. Klein M., 1932, The psychoanalysis of children
  6. Slade A., 2002, Zero to Three, June/July
  7. Slade A., 2004, The Parent Development Interview – Revised
  8. Slade A., 1994, Parent Development Interview Coding System
  9. Slade A., 2004, Addendum to Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele reflective functioning scoring manual for usewith the Parent Development Interview
  10. Steele M., 2003, A longitudinal study of previously maltreated children: Attachment representations and adoption
  11. Zeanah C. H., 1994, Developmental Issues in Psychiatry and Psychology, 1, 1

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Metadata

Authors
Slade, A.
Affiliations
City University of New York (US)
Corresponding author
Slade, Arietta
ORCID
Slade, Arietta
Venue
Attachment & Human Development
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2005-09
Volume
7
Issue
3
Pages
269-281
ISSN
  • 1461-6734 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-2988
DOI
10.1080/14616730500245906
OpenAlex
W2164828715
Cited by
1,209
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 95 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 82 · 2023: 130 · 2022: 91 · 2021: 89 · 2020: 106 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 71 · 2017: 55 · 2016: 69 · 2015: 60 · 2014: 37 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 38
FWCI
16.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Attachment & Human Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
parental reflective functioning, reflective functioning, theory of mind, parent-child relationship, parental representations, attachment security, coding system, developmental theory, clinical practice
MeSH terms
Child, Humans, Interview, Psychological, Mental Processes, Object Attachment, Parent-Child Relations, Research, Parenting

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