Abstract: In the new era,the core competency of mental health for teachers involves the high level of mentalizing ability to cope with the challenges in teaching and management.Based on teasing out the development of the mentalization concept,this paper is to propose the connotation of teacher mentalization in the context of the specificity of the teaching profession.Specifically,it refers to the psychological process in which teachers become aware of their own and others' mental state based on their prior experiences and behavioral patterns in interactions with students and parents,and continuously reflect on and adjust their interpersonal communication in the process of interaction.Additionally,this paper introduces and analyzes the pseudomentalization and nonmentalization that frequently occur in teachers' work,such as intrusive pseudomentalization,overactive form of pseudomentalization,and destructively inaccurate pseudomentalization.Finally,specific methods and approaches to enhance teachers' mentalizing ability are proposed,including improving mirroring ability,reflective function,mindful teaching ability as well as strengthening emotional regulation ability and improving stress resistance.

Key words: mentalization, pseudomentalization, attachment, empathy