A Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Alexithymia and the Dark Triad Traits of Personality

Cairncross, Molly; Veselka, Livia; Schermer, Julie Aitken; Vernon, Philip A.

doi:10.1017/thg.2013.19

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…A major difference between these two studies is that while our data included individuals stabilized on methadone, de Haan's sample was undergoing detoxification and the observed changes in alexithymia may reflect dynamic withdrawal symptoms. Other work has suggested that alexithymia is a stable personality trait (Tolmunen et al, 2011), and it has been shown that genetic factors may contribute to alexithymia (Cairncross et al, 2013;Ham et al, 2005). Taken together with the present work showing little change over the follow-up, it appears that alexithymia is relatively stable in this population, regardless of variation in frequency of drug use over time.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Alexithymia level and response to computer-based training in cognitive behavioral therapy among cocaine-dependent methadone-maintained individuals

Morie

Nich

Hunkele

et al. 2015

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background-Alexithymia, a characteristic marked by poor ability to identify, define and communicate emotions, has been associated with poorer treatment outcome, including traditional clinician delivered CBT. Computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT4CBT), an effective adjunct to treatment, may provide a means of conveying skills without requiring interaction with a clinician.Methods-Seventy-three methadone maintained, cocaine dependent individuals participating in an 8-week randomized clinical trial comparing standard methadone maintenance to methadone maintenance plus CBT4CBT completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) at pretreatment, post-treatment, and follow-ups conducted one, two, and 6 months after treatment.Results-There were no statistically significant differences on baseline TAS-20 scores by multiple demographic and substance use variables including gender and substance use severity. Higher TAS-20 scores were associated with somewhat higher levels of distress as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory and multiple Brief Severity Index scales. TAS-20 scores remained relatively stable throughout the duration of treatment and follow-up. Indicators of treatment process, including treatment retention, adherence and therapeutic alliance, were not significantly correlated with TAS-20 scores. There was a significant interaction of alexithymia and treatment condition, such that individuals with higher baseline scores on the TAS-20 submitted significantly higher percentages of cocaine-negative urine toxicology specimens and reported a higher © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Conflict of Interest Dr. Carroll is a consultant to CBT4CBT LLC, which makes CBT4CBT available to qualified clinical providers and organizations on a commercial basis. Dr. Carroll works with Yale University to manage any potential conflicts of interest. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests. percentage of abstinence days, and longer periods of consecutive abstinence within treatment when assigned to CBT4CBT compared with treatment as usual. HHS Public AccessConclusions-These findings suggest that individuals with increased alexithymia may benefit from computerized CBT; possibly via reduced demands on interpersonal skills and interactions associated with computerized therapies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Alexithymia level and response to computer-based training in cognitive behavioral therapy among cocaine-dependent methadone-maintained individuals

Morie

Nich

Hunkele

et al. 2015

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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“…These traits have often been associated with negative aspects of personality; for instance, psychopathy is related to higher levels of aggressiveness and impulsivity (Kennealy et al, 2010), Machiavellianism is linked to hypocrisy and manipulation (Paulhus & Williams, 2002), and narcissism is linked to dominance, superiority and egocentric attitude (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Among these undesirable outcomes we can also find emotional deficits such as anxiety or low empathy associated with the three DT traits (Megías et al, 2018; Miller et al, 2010; Jonason & Kroll, 2015), as well as difficulty in regulating mood and alexithymia associated with psychopathy and Machiavellianism (Miao et al, 2019; Cairncross et al, 2013). The aim of the current study was to explore how the three personality traits comprising the DT could be related to depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between the Dark Triad and depressive symptoms

Gómez‐Leal

Megías‐Robles

Gutiérrez‐Cobo

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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The Dark Triad (DT) is composed of three closely related personality traits: psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism. These traits have been linked to emotional deficits. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the DT traits, including sub-dimensions, and depressive symptoms in order to identify those factors most strongly associated with the development of depression in individuals scoring high on DT. For these purposes, a total of 791 adults (M = 35.76 years; 24.91% males) completed a questionnaire battery including DT traits and depression measures. A positive significant correlation was found between psychopathy and Machiavellianism traits (total score and all sub-dimensions) and depressive symptoms. For narcissism, the direction of the correlation was dependent on the sub-dimension assessed. A model explaining 26.2% of the depressive symptoms scores was composed of the callous affect and criminal tendencies sub-dimensions of psychopathy, cynical view of human nature, which is a sub-dimension of Machiavellianism, and entitlement and self-sufficiency, which are sub-dimensions of narcissism. In addition, some of the relationships found between DT sub-dimensions and depressive symptoms appeared to depend on gender. Our results could have implications for detection and intervention programs aimed at decreasing the negative emotional consequences suffered by individuals with high DT scores. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

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“…A possible reason accounting for correlations between humor styles and alexithymia in the above study is that both correlate with empathy. Affiliative humor (i.e., positively involving others and enhancing social interaction) and self-enhancing humor (i.e., enhancing the self) show a significantly positive correlation with empathy [106] that in turn is negatively correlated with alexithymia [107]. Moreover, a negative correlation between aggressive humor and empathy has been reported [106].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing

Patrikelis

Lucci

Alexoudi

et al. 2019

Behavioural Neurology

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In this review, we explore current literature and assess evidence linking secondary (acquired) alexithymia to aberrant humor processing, in terms of their neurobiological underpinnings. In addition, we suggest a possible common neuropathological substrate between secondary alexithymia and deficits in humor appreciation, by drawing on neurophysiologic and neuroradiological evidence, as well as on a recent and unique single-case study showing the cooccurrence of secondary alexithymia and deficit in humor appreciation. In summary, what emerges from the literature is that the cortical midline structures, in particular the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and the insular cortex, seem to play a crucial role in the expression of both alexithymia and defective humor processing, while though to a lesser extent, a right hemisphere and bilateral frontoparietal contribution becomes evident. Neurobiological evidence of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing points to the putative role of ACC/mPFC and the insular cortex in representing crucial processing nodes whose damage may produce both the above clinical conditions. We believe that the association of secondary alexithymia and aberrant humor processing, especially humor appreciation deficit, and their correlation with specific brain regions, mainly ACG/mPFC, as emerged from the literature, may be of some heuristic importance. Increased awareness on this topic may be of aid for neurosurgeons when accessing emotion-relevant structures, as well as for neuropsychologists to intensify their efforts to plan evidence-based neurorehabilitative interventions to alleviate the deleterious effects of such interpersonal communication deficits.

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A Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Alexithymia and the Dark Triad Traits of Personality

Cited by 31 publications

References 59 publications

Alexithymia level and response to computer-based training in cognitive behavioral therapy among cocaine-dependent methadone-maintained individuals

Alexithymia level and response to computer-based training in cognitive behavioral therapy among cocaine-dependent methadone-maintained individuals

Relationship between the Dark Triad and depressive symptoms

Addressing Evidence Linking Secondary Alexithymia to Aberrant Humor Processing

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