CORRELATES AND RETROSPECTIVELY REPORTED ANTECEDENTS OF ALEXITHYMIA

Two experiments were conducted in order to examine the relationship be tween alexithymia and: 1) family environment; 2) discomfort and ambiva lence experiencing and expressing emotion; and 3) dissociation. Resear ch participants in both experiments were college students. We examined the ability to identify and communicate emotion using the Toronto Ale xithymia Scale, In Experiment 1, we found that alexithymia was signifi cantly correlated with ambivalence concerning expression of emotion (m easured using the Ambivalence over Emotional Expressiveness Questionna ire) and with discomfort concerning negative emotional states (measure d using a new instrument called the Emotional Experience Discomfort Sc ale), Higher levels of alexithymia were associated with retrospective reports of diminished family expressiveness (measured using the Expres siveness subscale of the Family Environment Scale) and with feeling le ss emotionally safe during childhood (measured using a new instrument called the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire). In Experiment 2, we f ound that alexithymia was significantly correlated with dissociative e xperiences (measured using the Dissociative Experiences Scale). Howeve r, alexithymia and dissociation differed in the way they were associat ed with retrospective reports of different aspects of family expressiv eness (measured using the Family Expressiveness Questionnaire). High l evels of dissociation were associated with increased negative dominant family communication. In contrast, high levels of alexithymia were as sociated with low levels of positive family communication.