Date of Award
Fall 2005
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Primary alexithymia is a psychological construct that encompasses impairment in the identification, processing, and expression of emotions. Alexithymia' s importance lies in its positive association with a variety of medical and psychological disorders. In recent years, attempts have been made to reduce the risk of these disorders through psychotherapeutic interventions that focus on helping individuals high in alexithymia learn to describe and express their emotions. These interventions have, thus far, met with limited success. Many questions about effective interventions remain unanswered. Is increased emotional expression the most important approach to reducing risk? Are there other approaches that may contribute to improved mental health? Does alexithymia itself need to decrease to reduce risk? How do high alexithymics who are healthy in mind and body differ from those who are not? These are questions that remain to be answered through future clinical research. The present study sought to investigate these questions empirically, providing initial data relevant to answering them.