[smart (OP)]

Mentalization may refer to the cognitive ability to understand the mental and emotional state of another person in order to interpret his behavior, thinkings, etc.

Questions:
- Is the age and gender are factors in the capacity to mentalize?
- Is it possible to mentalize with someone from a remote location?
- Do mentalization have a genetic component?
- Can you mentalize or introspect into your own mental state by looking into a mirror or writing a text?

What do you think?

[puppypower]

The foundation of the human personality is based on personality firmware. This firmware was originally called the archetypes of the collective unconscious by the late psychologist Carl Jung. These firmware, to modernize the term, define natural human propensities, hardwired into the brain, that are common all humans and define us as a species.

These firmware in humans are analogous to say the firmware behind cat behavior, that is common all cats. These are prewired in the brain, to give each cat feline propensities. If you ever own a kitten, even without other cats around to teach it,  they will practice cat skills, driven by an inner drive that will generate imaginary play scenarios. The firmware output is very similar in all kittens.

What you refer to as metallization, is connected to interpreting the output from the firmware. Since the firmware is common to all, the output is also common to all; laugh or cry.We can infer from which firmware it came and thereby empathize. This is all connected to a wiring loop, where we can input specific sensory data, anywhere in the loop, and trigger our own internal version of the loop, for empathy. 

This is true of the natural firmware, however, it is also possible to modify the firmware, using will power and choice, so the output does not correspond to the firmware you expect. This makes it harder to empathize, properly.

A good example of this is the state of denial. Picture someone who sees their world fall around them due to a natural disaster like a hurricane. This new reality may be too much to handle. They may not want to stay in this new hard reality, but rather will prefer to deny this happening, and image all is well.

The natural firmware of the unconscious mind will react to reality as is. But the ego is reacting to this in a way connected to how it wishes it could be. These are no longer coordinating, but begin to send out mixed signals. If someone is smiling during a hurricane, this may not trigger the proper loop inside another person, who is running for cover with fear in their eyes. They may not be able to empathize properly.

Conversely, someone in denial who is reacting in an ideal way and not a real way, may interpret the natural reactions in others, in an irrational way, since the inner loop they will have triggered, is not the same thing. One can see this induction in politics where the same data leads to mutually exclusive reactions. How can a Democrat empathize with the Republican or vice versa, when neither may be natural, and both are in various states of partial denial. The trick is to return to natural and let the unconscious mind use the main frame parts of the brain and then let the ego empathize with the natural wiring loops.

The original natural humans did not need much language since they could trigger loops in each other and visualize the intent of each other, through output and internal feedback. Willpower and choice; denial, changed that.

[smart (OP)]

This is true of the natural firmware, however, it is also possible to modify the firmware, using will power and choice, so the output does not correspond to the firmware you expect. This makes it harder to empathize, properly.

Please elaborate more. I would like to know what you mean with the term "natural firmware". Also, how is the natural firmware affecting our social cognition capacity?

[cheryl j]

Interestingly, it does seem to be a specific kind of brain function, not just a general cognitive ability. My mother has dementia, and I suspect it might be frontotemporal dementia. She doesn't exhibit  a lot of the behaviors that are  characteristic of Alzheimer patients. Her short term memory is pretty good, and she's oriented to time and place, doesn't get lost, knows the names of common every day objects, etc. She has a lot of trouble with abstract thinking and language comprehension, especially grammatically complex sentences.

But one really strange symptom she has had, is loss of empathy, as well as a strange inability to see the world from someone else's point of view. She has a really hard time imagining or knowing what others know and don't know. For example, she would explain to me how to use the garden hose, or operate the washing machine, or which way to turn on the street I grew up on. These things almost present like memory problems, but they are oddly specific to this "point of view" problem.  When ordering in a restaurant, she will read the entire description of what she wants to the waitress despite the fact the waitress obviously works there and knows what is on the menu. I don't think she is intentionally mean, but doesn't seem to understand why something she says might be rude or hurtful, and it can be embarrassing in public.

It would be interesting to research what part of the brain is responsible for interpreting other people's thoughts or feelings or intentions. I know with babies, studies show they develop "theory of mind" at specific point in their development. I think it is around 7 months.