Low Self-Mentalizing and Hypermentalizing Others as Core Features of Personality Pathology: A Person-Centered Analysis

BACKGROUND: Mentalizing is a multifaceted construct central to personality pathology, and a person-centered approach may clarify how imbalances between self-and other-mentalizing relate to its expression and severity. METHODS: Ninety-nine adults from clinical and community samples completed diagnostic interviews and validated measures of mentalizing, personality functioning, and maladaptive traits. Cluster analysis was applied to indices of self-and other-mentalizing. RESULTS: Three profiles emerged: (1) low self-mentalizing with hypermentalizing of others, (2) relatively preserved self-mentalizing with ineffective other-mentalizing, and (3) broadly effective mentalizing. Cluster 1 showed the highest severity of personality pathology and greater clinical burden reflected in higher rates of psychiatric hospitalization and treatment referral. Cluster 3 showed the lowest levels of pathology and clinical burden. No cluster differences were found in sociodemographic indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct mentalizing profiles are differentially associated with personality pathology and clinical burden, highlighting the central role of impairments in self-mentalizing and hypermentalizing of others.