BUILDING MENTALIZING AND EMPATHETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF PROBATION OFFICERS WITH SUPERVISED PERSONS. A PILOT STUDY
BUILDING MENTALIZING AND EMPATHETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF PROBATION OFFICERS WITH SUPERVISED PERSONS. A PILOT STUDY

Summary/Abstract: Both mentalization and empathy are forms of social cognition. They allow us to understand what is going on inside another person. Empathy is a kind of "gift" in natural resources, the "binder of humanity" that motivates us to fully respect the experiences and attitudes of other people. Empathic and mentalizing resources can be used in education, therapy, social care, and social rehabilitation. The aim of this article was to determine the level and characteristics of mentalizing in a group of probation officers. This phenomenon makes a "blank spot" to be explored in this professional group. The empathic orientation of probation officers enforcing probation measures was also assessed. The results obtained from probation officers were compared to those obtained from a group of social workers. It was examined how the capability and motivation to mentalize oneself and others were related to emotional-cognitive empathy. The article will describe the results obtained using the Mentalization Scale (MentS) developed by Dimitrijević et al. – in the Polish adaptation by Jańczak. The level of empathy in its global dimension and in the scope of its syndromes reflecting the complexity of the phenomenon were determined using the Empathic Understanding of Other People Questionnaire developed by Węgliński. No statistically significant correlation was found between the dimensions of mentalization and characteristics of emotional and cognitive empathy. A high level of mentalization and a low level of general and emotional empathy were noted in the probation officers under study. Obtained results suggest the need for future explorations aimed to use their findings in social rehabilitation.

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