The Relationship Between Reflective Functioning Certainty and Reflective Functioning Uncertainty with Interpersonal Relationship Functioning Among Youth and Young Adults in Pakistan

Abstract

The current study focused on exploring the correlation between reflective functioning (Certainty about Mental States (RFQ-C) and Uncertainty about Mental States (RFQ-U)) and interpersonal interaction functioning (IRF) in youth and young adults in Pakistan. Reflective functioning, based on Mentalization-Based Theory, is defined as a person's ability to reflect their own and others' behavior in relation to their thoughts, feelings and intentions. The study adopted a cross-sectional, correlational design with a sample of 300 participants (youth age between 17-44 years) of Islamabad and Rawalpindi population sample collected by convenience sampling technique. Reflective functioning was assessed using the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ; Fonagy et al., 2016) and interpersonal relationship functioning was assessed using the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS; Hendrick, 1988). Pearson product-moment correlation was used to examine the bivariate relationships among the study variables. Results indicated small but statistically significant positive correlations between RFQ-C and the interpersonal relationship functioning (r = .12, p < .05), and small but statistically significant negative correlations between RFQ-U and interpersonal relationship functioning (r = −.16, p < .01). It appears that a better sense of self and others' mental state relates to healthier interpersonal functioning, while a poorer sense of self and others' mental state relates to poorer interpersonal functioning. The results are able to expand mentalization related literature, which was mostly written in Western cultural context, to a community of Pakistan.