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
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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In the citing paper
“and to the development of the child’s sense of self [77].”
From Optimizing parenting and child outcomes following parent–child interaction therapy – toddler: a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [77]
In the citing paper
“and a different result may have been obtained had an interview-based assessment been utilised, e.g., Parent Development Interview [78] or Caregiving Interview [34].”
From Optimizing parenting and child outcomes following parent–child interaction therapy – toddler: a randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as [78]
Citations
Cites
Winnicott, D. W. (2012) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203441022 · Cited by 6,634
Affect Regulation, Mentalization, and the Development of the Self
Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E. L., & Target, M. (2018) · doi:10.4324/9780429471643 · Cited by 3,886
The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment
Winnicott, D. W. (2018) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780429482410 · Cited by 3,689
George, C. C., Main, M., & Kaplan, N. M. (1985) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.1037/t02879-000 · Cited by 1,699
Attachment Across the Life Cycle
Stevenson‐Hinde, J., & Marris, P. (1991) · Taylor & Francis eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203317914 · Cited by 1,635
Fonagy, P., Steele, H., & Steele, M. (1991) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01578.x · Cited by 1,173
The Psycho-Analysis of Children.
(1933) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.1933.02740110057038 · Cited by 1,025
Maternal reflective functioning, attachment and the transmission gap: a preliminary study.
Slade, A., Grienenberger, J., Bernbach, E., Levy, D., & Locker, A. (2005) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616730500245880 · Cited by 785
Self-citationPlaying with reality: I. Theory of mind and the normal development of psychic reality.
Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (1996) · PubMed · Cited by 768
Attachment Theory: Social, Developmental and Clinical Perspectives.
Lynch, J. J. (1997) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-199712000-00012 · Cited by 755
Fonagy, P., Steele, H., & Steele, M. (1991) · Child Development · doi:10.2307/1131141 · Cited by 684
REFLECTIVE-FUNCTIONING MANUAL Version 5 FOR APPLICATION TO ADULT ATTACHMENT INTERVIEWS
Fonagy, P., Target, M., Steele, H., & Steele, M. (1998) · UCL Discovery (University College London) · Cited by 668
Main, M. (2000) · Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association · doi:10.1177/00030651000480041801 · Cited by 592
The International Journal of Psychoanalysis.
Cournut‐Janin, M. (1996) · Revue française de psychanalyse · doi:10.3917/rfp.g1996.60n4.1268 · Cited by 591
(1996) · PubMed · Cited by 564
Mentalization and the changing aims of child psychoanalysis
Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (1998) · Psychoanalytic Dialogues · doi:10.1080/10481889809539235 · Cited by 422
Security of Attachment as a Predictor of Symbolic and Mentalising Abilities: A Longitudinal Study
Meins, E., Fernyhough, C., Russell, J. A., & Clark-Carter, D. D. (1998) · Social Development · doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00047 · Cited by 414
Benoit, D., Parker, K. C. H., & Zeanah, C. H. (1997) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01515.x · Cited by 335
(2006) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/(issn)1097-0355 · Cited by 307
Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Steele, H., Leigh, T., Kennedy, R., Mattoon, G., & Target, M. (1995) · UCL Discovery (University College London) · Cited by 304
Slade, A., Belsky, J., Aber, J. L., & PHELPS, J. L. (1999) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.35.3.611 · Cited by 254
Self-citationFonagy, P., Target, M., Steele, H., & Steele, M. (1998) · PsycTESTS Dataset · doi:10.1037/t03490-000 · Cited by 247
Clinical Applications of a Parent Perception Interview in Infant Mental Health
Zeanah, C. H., & Benoit, D. (1995) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/s1056-4993(18)30418-8 · Cited by 214
Linguistic Acquisitional Style and Mentalising Development
Meins, E., & Fernyhough, C. (1999) · Cognitive Development · doi:10.1016/s0885-2014(99)00010-6 · Cited by 166
The Development and Organization of Attachment: Implications for Psychoanalysis
Slade, A. (2000) · Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association · doi:10.1177/00030651000480042301 · Cited by 103
Self-citationStability and change in mothers' representations of their relationship with their toddlers.
Aber, J. L., Belsky, J., Slade, A., & Crnic, K. A. (1999) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.35.4.1038 · Cited by 97
Self-citationRepresentational models of relationships: Links between caregiving and attachment
George, C., & Solomon, J. (1996) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0355(199623)17:3
Fonagy (1991) · doi:10.1002/1097-0355(199123)12:3
Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Aber J. L., 1985, The Parent Development Interview
- Gergely G., 1996, International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 77, 1181
- Hartmann A., 1998, Links between maternal representations of the child, observed maternal behaviors, and the quality of dyadic engagement in play at 28 months
- Hermelin-Kuttner H., 1998, Maternal ego flexibility and the process of adaptation to motherhood: Conscious and unconscious aspects. Unpublished doctoral dissertation
- Klein M., 1932, The psychoanalysis of children
- Slade A., 2002, Zero to Three, June/July
- Slade A., 2004, The Parent Development Interview – Revised
- Slade A., 1994, Parent Development Interview Coding System
- Slade A., 2004, Addendum to Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele reflective functioning scoring manual for usewith the Parent Development Interview
- Steele M., 2003, A longitudinal study of previously maltreated children: Attachment representations and adoption
- Zeanah C. H., 1994, Developmental Issues in Psychiatry and Psychology, 1, 1
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Fonagy, P., & Luyten, P. (2009) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579409990198 · Cited by 1,146
“…of mentalization, such as the Reflective Functioning Scale as scored on the AAI (Fonagy, Target, Steele, & Steele, 1998), Child Attachment Interview (Ensink, 2003), and Parent Development Interview (Slade, 2005), involve the aggregation of mentalization across a number of attachment relationships.”
The persistent sampling bias in developmental psychology: A call to action
Nielsen, M., Haun, D. B. M., Kärtner, J., & Legare, C. H. (2017) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2017.04.017 · Cited by 1,023
Maternal reflective functioning, attachment and the transmission gap: a preliminary study.
Slade, A., Grienenberger, J., Bernbach, E., Levy, D., & Locker, A. (2005) · Attachment & Human Development · doi:10.1080/14616730500245880 · Cited by 785
Self-citationFonagy, P., Luyten, P., Moulton-Perkins, A., Lee, Y.-W., Warren, F., Howard, S., Ghinai, R., Fearon, P., & Lowyck, B. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158678 · Cited by 754
“Recognizing the opacity of mental states and showing a genuine interest and curiosity in the internal world of the child are considered to be the hallmarks of genuine PRF [101], and these two features were indeed associated with RFQ_C in the current study.”
BackgroundThe mentalizing approach to psychopathology: State of the art and future directions
Luyten, P., Campbell, C., Allison, E., & Fonagy, P. (2020) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-071919-015355 · Cited by 748
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
- 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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