Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Elliot Jurist, PhD, PhD
Second Advisor
Adriana Espinosa, PhD
Third Advisor
Diana Puñales-Morejon, PhD
Keywords
emotion regulation, mentalization, mentalized affectivity, wilderness therapy, adolescence
Abstract
Mentalized affectivity (MA) blends emotion regulation and mentalization in a single construct that underlies psychopathology and is a target of psychotherapeutic intervention as a mechanism of change. Little research has investigated MA’s role in psychopathology and treatment for adolescents. Change in MA has yet to be investigated. Wilderness therapy is a non-traditional treatment model for “hard-to-reach” adolescents; its mechanisms of change have not been robustly researched. This study aims to investigate change in adolescents’ MA capacities over the course of wilderness therapy, in order to explore the role of MA components (Identifying, Processing, Expressing) in adolescent psychopathology; the relation between change in MA and change in psychosocial dysfunction; and how the “prescribed” use of wilderness experience as a unique component of the wilderness therapy model relates to both MA change and treatment outcome. Quantitative analyses indicate that MA components predict psychosocial dysfunction, and MA change is associated with psychosocial improvement for adolescents enrolled in wilderness therapy.
Recommended Citation
Holland, William, "Mentalized Affectivity Among Adolescents in Wilderness Therapy: An Initial Exploration" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1183