Feelings without speech or speech without feelings? Further evidence for the decoupling hypothesis of alexithymia

The theoretical background of the present investigation was the decoupling hypothesis of alexithymia, which presumes for alexithymic individuals a dis sociation of psychophysiological indicators of emotion from verbal cognitiv e awareness of one's emotional state. To study alterations in reactivity to emotionally distressing stimuli in alexithymic individuals, 12 high-alexit hymic and 14 low-alexithymic subjects (separated by TAS) out of a general s ample of 54 were investigated. All subjects were exposed to cognitive (CPT) and affect inductive (film sequences) distress. During stimulus exposition electrodermal activity (sponateous fluctuations) was recorded. After stimu lus exposition the subjects assessed their emotional reaction towards the f ilm sequences (DAS). Concerning electrodermal activity no differences were found between high and low alexithymics under cognitive distress. In any ca se a significant autonomous arousal was registered. However, only the low a lexithymic subjects but not the high alexithymics showed a significant incr ease of spontaneous fluctuations as expression of autonomous arousal during presentation of affect inductive stimuli. The altered psychophysiological reactivity found in high alexithymics in contrast to low alexithymic subjec ts was revealed specifically for the processing of emotional qualified stim uli. However,there was no difference between the groups in cognitive self a ssessment of emotional response towards the film sequences. The findings ar e discussed with reference to neurophysiological and psychodynamic models a nd the decoupling hypothesis of alexithymia.