Multidimensionality and State Dependency of Alexithymia in Recently Sober Alcoholics

Haviland, Mark G.; Hendryx, Michael; Cummings, Michael; Shaw, Dale G.; MacMurray, James P.

doi:10.1097/00005053-199105000-00007

Cited by 82 publications

(46 citation statements)

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“…[16][17][18]37 Several studies have shown that alexithymia is multidimensional rather than unidimensional, consisting of emotional and cognitive components. 29,38 The emotional component is characterized by an incapacity to describe and identify feelings, and the cognitive component is characterized by a lack of daydreaming and the presence of externally oriented thinking. In the present study, participants' TCI scores correlated with the incapacity to describe and identify feelings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…39 Primary alexithymia could constitute a clinical trait that would characterize subjects who are prone to psychosomatic or psychiatric disorders. Secondary alexithymia could constitute a clinical state reflecting stress or adaptation during severe psychoso- 29 Nevertheless the latest study evaluating the stability of alexithymia in alcohol-dependent patients suggested that alexithymia is a stable personality trait rather than a state-dependent phenomenon. 28 The present study had several limitations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…28 Alexithymia may be a risk factor for alcoholism and it also may affect treatment results. 29 Little is known, however, about how to approach alexithymia in this patient group. Thus, understanding alexithymia and the variables that predict alexithymia among this population may help us in terms of prevention as well as in treatment.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Alexithymia and temperament and character model of personality in alcohol‐dependent Turkish men

Evren

Köse

Sayar

et al. 2008

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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Aims: Alexithymia, a personality trait characterized as having problems identifying, describing, and working with one's own feelings, often marked by a lack of understanding of the feelings of others, is only partly described within the context of personality. The aim of the present study was therefore to study the prevalence of alexithymia among male alcoholdependent inpatients and investigate the relationship between alexithymia and the dimensions of Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality. Methods: The Turkish version of the TorontoAlexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Turkish version of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were administered to 111 male alcohol-dependent inpatients.Results: TAS-20 scores correlated positively with harm avoidance and self-transcendence and negatively with self-directedness and cooperativeness. Regression analysis identified high harm avoidance and self-transcendence and low self-directedness as independent predictors of alexithymia. Also harm avoidance and self-transcendence predicted alexithymia in a logistic regression model. Conclusions: Alexithymia can be explained by specific dimensions within Cloninger's psychobiological model of personality in alcohol-dependent Turkish men.Key words: alexithymia, character, personality, temperament.A LEXITHYMIA IS AN emotional processing disturbance clinically manifested by difficulties in identifying and verbalizing feelings, in elaborating fantasies, and by a tendency to focus on and amplify the somatic sensations accompanying emotional arousal. Alexithymia is thought to be a stable personality trait and a predisposing risk factor for a variety of psychiatric disorders. Salient features of alexithymia are the inability to distinguish one's feelings from the accompanying bodily sensations, the inability to communicate feelings to others, and an externally oriented cognitive style reflecting an absence of inner thoughts and fantasies. These three lower-order concepts reflect separate, yet empirically related facets of the alexithymia construct.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Alexithymia and temperament and character model of personality in alcohol‐dependent Turkish men

Evren

Köse

Sayar

et al. 2008

Psychiatry Clin Neurosci

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“…Thus, in a sample of freshmen medical students, Hendryx et al [43] found that depres sion and anxiety was only associated with the alexithymia dimension pertaining to identi fying and communicating feelings. Havilandet al [44], in a sample of recently abstaining alco holics, found that only inability to identify feel ings and to distinguish them from bodily sensa tions was related to depressive symptoms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Components of Alexithymia as Measured with Psychodγnamic Ratings and Subjective Lack of Well-Being

Weinryb

Gustavsson

Åsberg

et al. 1994

Psychother Psychosom

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Two alexithymia-related characterological patterns, identified by means of psychodynamic assessments in a study of patients with ulcerative colitis, were further investigated regarding subjective lack of well-being. The multidisturbed group (with disturbances in interpersonal relations) was symptomatically characterized by more sadness and by less initiative, but manifested less anxiety, enjoyed sex and slept well at night. The inhibited group was characterized by the opposite. The groups could not be discriminated on the basis of their general adaptive level of functioning. Our results suggest that alexithymia may have several dimensions, associated with different characterological disturbances and symptoms.

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“…Moreover alexithymia is a polythetic construct and several studies [31][32][33] have shown that the emotional component (feelings) is linked with depression and that the daydreaming and the cognitive components (externally oriented thinking) are not. In our study the depressives had a higher score on the different TAS subscales than the normals.…”

Section: Comparisons Normals Versus Depressivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anhedonia, Alexithymia and Locus of Control in Unipolar Major Depressive Disorders

Loas

Dhee-Perot²,

Chaperot³

et al. 1998

Psychopathology

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The relationship between anhedonia, alexithymia and locus of control was studied in a group of healthy subjects (n = 56) and in a group of unipolar major depressives (n = 59). These dimensions were rated using the Physical Anhedonia Scale (PAS), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) and the Internal Powerful others and Chance Scale. The unipolar major depressives were divided into two subgroups using the endogenomorphic subscale of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. There are respectively 25 and 17 depressives in the nonendogenomorphic (NENDO) and endogenomorphic (ENDO) subgroups. The unipolar major depressives were significantly more anhedonic, alexithymic and externalized than the controls. In the ENDO group the PAS and TAS Feelings scores were positively correlated suggesting that a third variable of emotional deficit could characterize endogenomorphic depression. In the NENDO group the PAS, TAS Daydreaming, Powerful others and Chance scores were positively correlated. In nonendogenomorphic depression anhedonia could be related to a poverty of imagery and could be interpreted as a consequence of external causes.

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Multidimensionality and State Dependency of Alexithymia in Recently Sober Alcoholics

Cited by 82 publications

References 0 publications

Alexithymia and temperament and character model of personality in alcohol‐dependent Turkish men

Alexithymia and temperament and character model of personality in alcohol‐dependent Turkish men

Relationship between Components of Alexithymia as Measured with Psychodγnamic Ratings and Subjective Lack of Well-Being

Anhedonia, Alexithymia and Locus of Control in Unipolar Major Depressive Disorders

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