Mentalization Training via Expressive Writing and Experience Sampling Methods
Type of research: Mixed-method
Description:
Mentalization, the ability to understand and interpret one’s own and others’ mental states, is a critical skill for emotional regulation, empathy, and social interaction. This project investigates the potential of combining expressive writing—a structured, reflective writing exercise that enhances self-awareness—and Experience Sampling Methods (ESM), a real-time data collection approach, to train and improve mentalization skills among fellow students. Expressive writing involves participants engaging in structured tasks that encourage them to articulate thoughts and emotions related to specific events, promoting greater emotional clarity and cognitive restructuring. ESM, on the other hand, involves frequent, context-specific self-reports of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors throughout the day, providing rich, ecological data on how individuals mentalize in various situations. The interplay between these two methods will be examined to understand how momentary awareness, as captured by ESM, interacts with the reflective process of expressive writing to enhance mentalization.
The student will take an active role in the design and implementation of this project, contributing at every stage of the research process. Key responsibilities include:
1) Recruiting participants, which will involve identifying and onboarding suitable individuals to ensure the study’s success.
2) Designing the ESM experiment, including the creation of thoughtful, evidence-based prompts that capture key aspects of mentalization.
3) Developing expressive writing assignments tailored to the participants' needs, monitor their progress throughout the intervention, and maintain regular communication to ensure adherence.
4) Analysis of the collected data, synthesizing the findings into a comprehensive report. This hands-on project will provide the student with valuable experience in experimental design, data analysis, and scientific writing while contributing to an unique area of research in psychology.