Alexithymia

Alexithymia
Other namesEmotional blindness
A drawing by an artist with alexithymia depicting confusion about one's own emotions
Pronunciation
SpecialtyClinical Psychology, Psychiatry
Frequency10% (lifetime risk)

Alexithymia (/əˌlɛksɪˈθaɪmiə/ ə-LEK-sih-THY-mee-ə), also called emotional blindness,[1] is a neuropsychological phenomenon characterized by significant challenges in recognizing, expressing, sourcing,[2] and describing one's emotions.[3][4][5] It is associated with difficulties in attachment and interpersonal relations.[6] While there is no scientific consensus on its classification as a personality trait, medical symptom, or mental disorder,[7][8] alexithymia is highly prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ranging from 50% to 85% of prevalence.[9]

Alexithymia occurs in approximately 10% of the general population and often co-occurs with various mental disorders, particularly with neurodevelopmental disorders.[10] Difficulty in recognizing and discussing emotions may manifest at subclinical levels in men who conform to specific cultural norms of masculinity, such as the belief that sadness is a feminine emotion. This condition, known as normative male alexithymia, can be present in both sexes.[11][12][13][6]

  1. ^ Serani D. "The Emotional Blindness of Alexithymia". Scientific American Blog Network. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  2. ^ Hoerricks J (2023). "Chapter 2: What is autism?". No Place for Autism?. Lived Places Publishing. p. 62. ISBN 978-1915271815.
  3. ^ Sifneos PE (1973). "The prevalence of 'alexithymic' characteristics in psychosomatic patients". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 22 (2): 255–262. doi:10.1159/000286529. PMID 4770536.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bagby-1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Preece D, Becerra R, Allan A, Robinson K, Dandy J (2017). "Establishing the theoretical components of alexithymia via factor analysis: Introduction and validation of the attention-appraisal model of alexithymia" (PDF). Personality and Individual Differences. 119: 341–352. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.08.003. S2CID 148867428.
  6. ^ a b Feldmanhall O, Dalgleish T, Mobbs D (March 2013). "Alexithymia decreases altruism in real social decisions". Cortex; A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior. 49 (3): 899–904. doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2012.10.015. PMID 23245426. S2CID 32358430.
  7. ^ von Rad M (1984). "Alexithymia and symptom formation". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 42 (1–4): 80–89. doi:10.1159/000287827. PMID 6514973.
  8. ^ Assogna F, Palmer K, Pontieri FE, Pierantozzi M, Stefani A, Gianni W, et al. (February 2012). "Alexithymia is a non-motor symptom of Parkinson disease". The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 20 (2): 133–141. doi:10.1097/JGP.0b013e318209de07. PMID 22273734.
  9. ^ Hogeveen J, Grafman J (2021). "Alexithymia". Disorders of Emotion in Neurologic Disease. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Vol. 183. Elsevier. pp. 47–62. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-822290-4.00004-9. ISBN 978-0-12-822290-4. PMC 8456171. PMID 34389125.
  10. ^ Taylor, Bagby & Parker 1997.
  11. ^ Karren K (2014). Mind/body health: The effects of attitudes, emotions, and relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-321-88345-2.
  12. ^ Karakis EN, Levant RF (2012). "Is Normative Male Alexithymia Associated with Relationship Satisfaction, Fear of Intimacy and Communication Quality Among Men in Relationships?". The Journal of Men's Studies. 20 (3): 179–186. doi:10.3149/jms.2003.179. S2CID 147645682.
  13. ^ Nadal KL, ed. (2017). "Alexithymia". The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. SAGE Publications. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4833-8427-6.