About 10% of the general population have significant levels of alexithymia, meaning this personality trait interferes with their daily lives, making work and social relationships difficult.
Situational alexithymia is caused by situational and communicative factors, such as embarrassment, shame, mistrust, lack of guarantees of psychological safety, and fear of being misunderstood.
Alexithymic manifestations are often caused by increased personal anxiety.
Literally, alexithymia means “lack of words to express feelings.”
At its core, it is a complex of disorders characterized by a decrease in a person’s ability to differentiate, verbalize and express their own feelings and emotions.
This is a tendency to explain one’s condition through external factors - events or circumstances - and also to avoid trying to understand internal experiences and emotions. Difficulty describing feelings.
Alexithymia also makes it difficult for people to identify and respond to others' emotions.
Can lead to deviant behavior and outbursts of aggression.
Causes difficulties with building interpersonal relationships.
An avoidant type of response often leads to complete isolation.
It can provoke a number of somatic diseases.
Alexithymia is not a psychiatric diagnosis, it is the name given to a condition in which a person is unable to describe and understand his feelings and emotions.
It leads not only to problems in interpersonal relationships, but can also cause psychosomatic illnesses.