Influence of alexithymia on symbolic function.

Abstract

The archetypal test with nine elements (AT9), specifically designed as a tracer of symbolic function, and the psychosomatic questionnaire of Sifneos et al., for assessment of alexithymia, were both proposed within the context of a psychosomatic consultation to 49 hospitalized patients being investigated for physical symptoms representative of psychosomatic problems at large. The AT9 test enables the utilization of G. Durand's theory of the Anthropological Structures of the Imaginary, and was our theoretical support to engage upon an empirical study in the hope of contributing to the debate about the influence of alexithymia on symbolic function. Faced with the AT9 aim of having to create a mythical micro-universe through three tasks: a drawing, a story, and answers to a questionnaire, the patients exhibited different behaviors. 13 of 49 patients were found not to be alexithymic, and their symbolic function was totally comparable to a normal population. The other 36 patients were found to be alexithymic in increasing degrees, and the symbolic function was found to be abnormal in all the protocols studied. The greatest abnormality was seen in patients who scored 7-8 on the alexithymia scale where 12 of the 18 protocols showed no evidence whatsoever of a mythical micro-universe. We suggest that alexithymia does influence the symbolic function and disorganizes it the more one is alexithymic. Also depending on the type of symbolic function put forth, we would like to propose graphic documents to illustrate Freyberger's intuition about a distinction to be made within the alexithymic population between a primary and secondary form.