I. Introduction: I will open my paper by discussing the first use of the term alexithymia and why it came to be a studied phenomenon. I will give the most general definition (lack of words for feelings) and discuss the initial study in relation to psychosomatic patients. I will also include that, although it was more prevalent in psychosomatic patients, it also occurred in other patients, causing intrigue to further study the concept (Sifneos, 1973).
a. Why it is important to study: I will transition into this idea by reinstating that alexithymia is not restricted to psychosomatic patients and that it could affect people we know. I will also state that it could be harmful to people who experience it, allowing the introduction of how it affects …show more content…
Different types of alexithymia
i. Chen, Jing, and Chan (2011) found evidence of four different types of alexithymia: extravert high, general high, introvert high, and nonalexithymia.
1. Extravert high alexithymia is an external orientation with normal abilities for identifying and describing emotions.
2. General high alexithymia is characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions and an external orientation.
3. Introvert high alexithymia is characterized by a difficulty describing and identifying emotions and little external orientation.
4. Nonalexithymia is characterized by normal levels of external orientation and normal abilities for identifying and describing emotions.
b. Gender differences: I will introduce this idea by stating that, while there are different types of alexithymia, alexithymia as a whole may differ across more broad factors, such as gender.
i. Men report higher levels of alexithymia than women (Carpenter & Addis, 2000).
III. Possible causes of alexithymia: I will transition into this topic by stating that the gender differences we see in levels of alexithymia may be explained by the potential causes of …show more content…
Childhood trauma: I will introduce this idea by stating that there may be other developmental factors that influence the likelihood of developing alexithymia.
i. Paivio and McCulloch (2004) found a positive association between childhood abuse and alexithymia.
1. They suggest that abuse during periods of emotional development may influence the ability to identify and regulate emotions, thereby causing alexithymia
c. Neurological: I will transition into this idea by recalling the studies that found different patterns of brain activation in alexithymics, and suggest that this may be because alexithymia has a neurological basis
i. Pollatos and Gramann (2012), van der Velde et al. (2015), Goerlich-Dobre et al. (2014), and Vermeulen et al. (2006) all provide evidence of different patterns of brain activity in alexithymics as compared to nonalexithymics.
1. These differences in brain activity may be caused by alexithymia, but it is also possible that these differences in brain activity are the cause of alexithymia.
IV. Treatment options: I will transition into this final topic by stating that, although the cause is unknown, there are treatment options that appear to be effective.
a. Insight vs.
a. Why it is important to study: I will transition into this idea by reinstating that alexithymia is not restricted to psychosomatic patients and that it could affect people we know. I will also state that it could be harmful to people who experience it, allowing the introduction of how it affects …show more content…
Different types of alexithymia
i. Chen, Jing, and Chan (2011) found evidence of four different types of alexithymia: extravert high, general high, introvert high, and nonalexithymia.
1. Extravert high alexithymia is an external orientation with normal abilities for identifying and describing emotions.
2. General high alexithymia is characterized by difficulty identifying and describing emotions and an external orientation.
3. Introvert high alexithymia is characterized by a difficulty describing and identifying emotions and little external orientation.
4. Nonalexithymia is characterized by normal levels of external orientation and normal abilities for identifying and describing emotions.
b. Gender differences: I will introduce this idea by stating that, while there are different types of alexithymia, alexithymia as a whole may differ across more broad factors, such as gender.
i. Men report higher levels of alexithymia than women (Carpenter & Addis, 2000).
III. Possible causes of alexithymia: I will transition into this topic by stating that the gender differences we see in levels of alexithymia may be explained by the potential causes of …show more content…
Childhood trauma: I will introduce this idea by stating that there may be other developmental factors that influence the likelihood of developing alexithymia.
i. Paivio and McCulloch (2004) found a positive association between childhood abuse and alexithymia.
1. They suggest that abuse during periods of emotional development may influence the ability to identify and regulate emotions, thereby causing alexithymia
c. Neurological: I will transition into this idea by recalling the studies that found different patterns of brain activation in alexithymics, and suggest that this may be because alexithymia has a neurological basis
i. Pollatos and Gramann (2012), van der Velde et al. (2015), Goerlich-Dobre et al. (2014), and Vermeulen et al. (2006) all provide evidence of different patterns of brain activity in alexithymics as compared to nonalexithymics.
1. These differences in brain activity may be caused by alexithymia, but it is also possible that these differences in brain activity are the cause of alexithymia.
IV. Treatment options: I will transition into this final topic by stating that, although the cause is unknown, there are treatment options that appear to be effective.
a. Insight vs.