Qualities of Mentalization and Perception of Parental Mirroring in a Group of Italian Transgender People: An Empirical Study

Transgender is an inclusive term referring to people whose gender identity, expression or behaviors are not fully aligned with those typically associated with their sex assigned at birth. Lemma has suggested that experiencing rejection in childhood might lead transgender people to feel an absence of mirroring by their parents in their early perception of gender incongruence and this might cause problems in mentalization. There have been no previous studies that have assessed mentalization (i.e., reflective functioning [RF]) in transgender people. In this study, we aim to assess RF in a group of transgender people and to relate RF to attachment patterns and perceived failures of mirroring. Twenty-eight adult attachment interviews (AAI), previously coded with regard to the attachment patterns, have been analyzed with the Reflective Functioning Scale [RFS]. A qualitative analysis of the AAIs has been performed to identify different qualities of perceived parental mirroring. The findings reveal that the majority of the sample presented a low RF (67.9%) and that three different qualities of perceived parental mirroring emerged (suppressing, avoiding, and pretending the gender incongruity), based on the “selectivity” of the mirroring process, one or both parents’ mirroring abilities and the presence of significant others. The individuals with a secure attachment (50%), as well as those perceiving to have experienced a positive mirroring, showed a higher RF. This study indicates that both attachment patterns and mirroring experiences influence RF independently and that suppressing the gender incongruity may be considered the most pathogenetic category of mirroring in terms of RF development.