Definition of Alexithymia

Abstract

Alexithymia comprises both a cognitive and an affective deficit in the way that some individuals recognize and communicate emotional states (Krystal 1979, 1982; Taylor 1984). The construct of alexithymia includes the following four main features: (1) difficulty identifying and describing subjective feelings, (2) trouble differentiating between feelings and the physical sensations of emotional arousal, (3) limited imaginative processes, and (4) an externally-oriented cognitive style. Overall, research indicates that alexithymia is a multi-dimensional deficit in affect recognition and regulation. The ability to process emotions is normally distributed in the population and high scores on measures of alexithymia may represent the lower end of this ability. Overall, research shows that alexithymia is associated with low levels of positive well-being, including low levels of happiness and life satisfaction.