A Comparison of the Oxygen Consumption of Normal and Alexithymic Subjects in Response to Affect-Provoking Thoughts

Personality testing was performed on 56 patients with clinical symptoms of chronic prostatitis. The psychological methods used were RO, TAT, FAM and Beck’s Depression Inventory. Q factor analysis of the patients was performed and yielded four factors representing four different personality pathologies, i.e. psychosomatic structure, alexithymic personality, borderline personality and narcissistic personality. The duration of the somatic symptoms correlated positively with the severity of the psychic symptoms. The etiology of the different pathologies expressed by the patients with chronic prostatitis was, according to the researchers, the same. All are disorders of the pregenital level and all can be interpreted as a consequence of disturbance of the first object relationships, the key factor being defective fantasy development.

Section: The Duration O F Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality Pathology Underlying Chronic Prostatitis

Keltikangas‐Järvinen¹,

Ruokolainen²,

Lehtonen³

1982

“…Similar findings were reported by authors who used several instruments of research. such as the Schalling-Sifneos Personality Scale [11], the Toronto Alexithymia Scale [ 12], the Beth Israel Psychosomatic Question naire [13], the MMPI Alexithymia Scale [14] and the measurement of oxygen consumption under emotionally stressing conditions [15]. This study aims at investigating the presence of this impaired symbolization in a real pa thology such as massive obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alexithymia and Obesity

Clerici

Albonetti²,

Papa³

et al. 1992

Many authors consider alexithymia a predisposing factor to psychosomatic and somatopsychic pathologies. In this study we investigated the presence of alexithymic characteristics in a group of 106 massive obese patients who requested a surgical intervention. 6 Rorschach alexithymia variables in the protocols of patients and a non-patient reference group (n = 600) were studied. Findings supported the presence of a striking alexithymic element among severely obese patients in comparison with their lean counterparts.

“…Sifneos [1] has postulated that alexithymia characteristics occur with greater frequency among psychosomatic pa tients than within other illness groups. Oth ers [2][3][4][5] have investigated the alexithymic character in a variety of clinical (medically ill and psychiatric) and nonclinical samples. Various authors have assessed the presence of alexithymia utilizing the Beth Israel Ques tionnaire along with supplementary inter views.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alexithymia in Chronic Bronchitis/Emphysema: Personality Characteristics and Illness Attitudes

Feiguine

Jones

1987

Personality characteristics and illness attitudes of alexithymic and nonalexithymic chronic bronchitis/emphysema patients were assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) along with supplementary scales and the Respiratory Illness Opinion Survey (RIOS). Two validity scales, three clinical scales and one supplementary scale from the MMPI along with one illness attitude category from the RIOS discriminated alexithymic and nonalexithymic patients. These findings are disparate from those observed in an asthmatic population and point to an interplay between illness type and alexithymia in terms of personality and illness attitudes.