Description

The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-36) is a self-report instrument designed to assess reflective functioning and, more broadly, the capacity for mentalizing. It examines the extent to which individuals are able to understand their own behavior and the behavior of others in terms of underlying mental states, such as thoughts, feelings, intentions, and desires. According to the source material, the RFQ was developed as an easily administered self-report measure of mentalizing.

The instrument is associated with the work of Fonagy, Luyten, and colleagues and is grounded in the theoretical framework of reflective functioning and mentalization.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the RFQ-36 is to provide a quantitative assessment of reflective functioning through a relatively brief and practical self-report format.

According to the source material, development of a shorter diagnostic form involved selecting six items with the highest factor loadings across exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted in the relevant samples.

Theoretical Background

Reflective functioning refers to the ability to interpret behavior in terms of underlying mental states. This capacity is closely related to self-understanding, understanding of others, emotional regulation, and interpersonal functioning.

Within the mentalizing framework, individuals attempt to understand not only observable behavior but also the possible thoughts, feelings, motives, and intentions that may underlie that behavior.

Structure and Administration

According to the source material, the items are rated on an anchored 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 to 4.

This response format allows the answers to be quantified and combined into an overall score.

The source file, however, contains some internal inconsistencies: it refers to the instrument as the RFQ-36, mentions a six-item short form, and also reports a total score range of 0–36. Therefore, the exact administration and scoring procedure should follow the official instructions of the specific RFQ version being used rather than relying only on the summary information contained in the file.

Scoring

The source material states that responses are scored from 0 to 4, with a reported total score ranging from 0 to 36.

It also describes the response categories in terms of symptom frequency and severity. Since this wording is not fully consistent with the usual conceptualization of a mentalizing questionnaire, these scoring descriptions should be interpreted cautiously and verified against the official version of the instrument.

Validity and Reliability

The source material reports a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79, indicating satisfactory internal consistency for a brief psychometric assessment.

This level of reliability supports the use of the questionnaire in research contexts, provided that the appropriate and validated version of the RFQ is administered.

Applications

The RFQ-36 may be used in studies examining mentalizing, personality, emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships, and mental health.

It may also contribute to research investigating how difficulties in understanding one’s own or others’ mental states are associated with psychological distress, relationship difficulties, or broader psychosocial functioning.

References

Fonagy, P., Luyten, P., Moulton-Perkins, A., Lee, Y. W., Warren, F., Howard, S., Ghinai, R., Fearon, P., & Lowyck, B. Development and Validation of a Self-Report Measure of Mentalizing: The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire.