Alexithymia: structural deficit or functional adaptation?

The distinction between primary alexithymia and secondary alexithymia (Frey berger, 1977) is defined. Another discrimination is introduced between stru ctural and functional alexithymia. This one seems more fundamental to the a uthors. Structural alexithymia is based on an individual's neurological dam age (corpus callosum agenesis, split-brain patients, and neural sclerosis); behavior and cognitive operations are subsequently modified. Functional al exithmia takes place in various contexts: precarious social situation, exis tential trauma, long-term invalidating disease, etc. It can be seen as an a daptation to life difficulties. We hypothesize this adaptation to be concre tized by changes in the management of mental contents. These modifications can be identified with classical protocols from cognitive psychology. This point is exemplified wit one of our studies (Jacob & Hautekeete, 1998), bas ed on a incidental learning protocol. Data are cited, indicating that this specific form of mental managing can be transmitted inside the family. It c onstitutes a source of maladjustment when social parameters are modified fr om one generation to the other.