The psychosemantic approach to alexithymia

Abstract

The purpose was to explore the nature of alexithymia by applying the psychosemantic approach based on the system of meaning (Kreitler & Kreitler, 1990). The main examined issues were whether alexithymia is a trait or some other personality disposition, what are its cognitive characteristics, and what are the dynamics of the reputed non-emotionality of alexithymia. The participants were 100 undergraduates of both genders who completed the TAS-20 and the Meaning Test. The TAS-20 yielded a total score as well as scores for three subscales. The Meaning Test yielded the subject's meaning profile, namely, the frequencies with which the subject used the different meaning variables in responding to the Meaning Test. Correlating the TAS-20 scores with the meaning profiles yielded the patterns of meaning variables corresponding to alexithymia, namely, the sets of meaning variables correlated significantly with the alexithymia scores. Analyzing these patterns in line with criteria previously identified as characteristic for personality traits showed that none of the alexithymia scores was trait-identical but the total score and the scores of two subscales were trait-similar. The pattern included also a characteristic cognitive cluster of focusing on concreteness and avoiding the internal world, resembling the pensée opératoire. In addition, it included evidence for concern with emotionality evoked in others but avoidance of experienced emotions.