Mentalizing in Organizations: A Psychodynamic Model for an Understanding of Well-Being and Suffering in the Work Contexts

Abstract

Moving from the paradigms of “mentalization” and “reflective function” (Fonagy and colleagues), this article develops the concept of “mentalizing” in organizations, understood as a process of construction of shared meaning in the work contexts, and whose absence or deterioration produces suffering in organizational experience, exposing individuals to significant psychosocial risks. This model converges in outlining a framework in which the absence of a reflective competence and the lack of symbolization of the experience of work fall on the perception of one's own job, and on the relationship with colleagues and management, producing unsustainability of the work experience. The availability of reflective spaces that are inscribed in the ordinary dimension of work thus appears as a solution capable of promoting organizational well-being.