L’intelligence psychologique et son utilité clinique

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the concept of psychological mindedness, of interests in both the field of empirical research on personality dimensions and psychological resources associated with mental health, and the effectiveness of psychotherapies. With this intention, a review of the scientific literature highlights its clinical interest and the main research outcome on this psychological resource. Psychological mindedness is a concept that has its roots in psychoanalytic practice. In those last years, psychological mindedness profits from a renewed interest in the field of the clinical psychology, independently of the theoretical orientation. Indeed, several studies have shown the role of psychological mindedness in understanding the psychological functioning, its role in the subjective well-being and its importance in the adherence to and effectiveness of psychotherapies. In the first part of the article we present the different definitions of psychological mindedness and the related concepts. In the following sections, the main results of studies on the psychological mindedness are discussed, first for its links with personality domains (Big Five Model), then its role in the mental health and finally it's utility for psychotherapy. The last part focuses on self-report measures of psychological mindedness through the presentation of the most used instruments in France. Lastly, we propose orientations for future research on psychological mindedness as many questions remain to be explored, such as the question of psychotherapeutic interventions strategies which show positive effects on this ability. Moreover, the causal links between Neuroticism and psychological mindedness could be investigated, and the influence of psychological mindedness on the emotional regulation. Other questions remain and require special attention: what are the different components of psychological mindedness and the best assessment instruments? What are the psychological processes involved in the psychological mindedness to produce positive effects on subjective well-being? In conclusion, we hope that this article will reintroduce this concept in clinical practice and research in France. We also hope that the development of process research on the effectiveness of psychotherapies will help identify predictors of their effectiveness and in particular those related to patients’ cognitive and motivational resources.