The Relation of Alexithymic Traits to Affective Theory of Mind

Little research has focused on the contributors to adult theory of mind (ToM) even though there is reason to suspect individual differences in performance in neurotypical samples. Alexithymia, a term that references an impaired ability to attend to and verbally label emotions via ongoing introspecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of psychology 2015-03, Vol.128 (1), p.31-42
Main Authors: DEMERS, LAUREN A., Koven, Nancy S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Affect - physiology
Affective symptoms
Affective Symptoms - psychology
Alexithymia
Cognition
Cognitive ability
Emotional intelligence
Emotional states
Emotions
Empathy
Empathy - physiology
Humans
Individual differences
Intelligence
Introspection
Male
Mind
Negative emotions
Neurological research
Personality psychology
Personality traits
Physiological aspects
Psychology
Psychometrics
Regression analysis
Social cognition
Social interactions
Social Sciences
Statistical variance
Theory of mind
Theory of Mind - physiology
Verbal ability
Wechsler scales
Young Adult
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Summary:Little research has focused on the contributors to adult theory of mind (ToM) even though there is reason to suspect individual differences in performance in neurotypical samples. Alexithymia, a term that references an impaired ability to attend to and verbally label emotions via ongoing introspection, is a useful construct through which to explore how socially relevant dimensions of emotion processing enable ToM. As 1 study has explored alexithymia vis-à-vis cognitive ToM, this study examined the relationships between facets of alexithymia and affective ToM while controlling for the potential confounds of empathy, verbal ability, and negative affect. A nonclinical sample of adults (N = 86) completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, the Mehrabian and Epstein Scale of Emotional Empathy, the Profile of Mood States, and the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that externally oriented thinking contributed unique variance to affective ToM, confirming an inverse relationship between alexithymia and affective ToM but highlighting the need to parse alexithymia into discrete facets when exploring its relevance to social cognition.
ISSN:0002-9556
1939-8298
DOI:10.5406/amerjpsyc.128.1.0031