mentalize

Verb

1. To make mental in nature, rather than physical
   • It is interesting to observe, furthermore, that among the higher barbarians and civilized races, lust has become to a certain extent mentalized through hereditary memory and association. - 1899, Henry Theophilus Finck,...
   • During this time also life evolved from its inferred beginnings in the late Archean to the complicated, finely developed, and in man's case highly mentalized and spiritualized organization of To-day. - 1919, Robert...
2. To understand the behavior of others as a product of their mental state
   • Specific impairments of mentalizing in both developmental and acquired disorders suggest that this ability depends on a dedicated and circumscribed brain system. - 1999 November 26, Chris D. Frith, Uta Frith,...
   • Next Review Interacting Minds--A Biological Basis Chris D. Frith, 1 * Uta Frith 2 The ability to "mentalize," that is to understand and manipulate other people's behavior in terms of their mental states, is a major...