ALEXITHYMIA AND THE INTERPRETATION OF HOSTILE-PROVOKING SITUATIONS

Background: To examine the relationship between alexithymia and the in terpretation of hostility-provoking situations. Methods: Sixty-two col lege students completed the TAS-20 and the Test for the Interpretation of Provoking Situations (TIPS). The TIPS measures how accurately part icipants can select the most likely explanation for the occurrence of a hypothetical, potentially provoking situation; it also measures how accurately participants judge whether explanations for events are inno cent or noninnocent. Results: Higher levels of alexithymia were associ ated with greater degrees of accuracy in interpreting the innocence of interpersonal information. The facets of alexithymia that were most s trongly associated with interpretation accuracy varied by gender. Conc lusions: Alexithymia is not associated with a general affect recogniti on deficit. The results are consistent with social factors playing a c entral role in alexithymia.