Alexithymia is defined as the inability to verbally express emotions because these people are not able to identify what they feel, understand or describe it.
It is estimated that 8% of men and 1.8% of women are Alexithymics and 30% of people with psychological problems.
Characteristics of Alexithymia
1. Difficulty in identifying emotions and feelings. These people have trouble distinguishing one emotion from another. For example, do not know for sure if what they feel is fear or anger. This failure does not occur only for those feelings, but also have difficulty identifying emotions in others (in their voices, facial expressions, posture).
2. Difficulty describing emotions and feelings. They can not describe what they feel and describe to others everything related to the subjective realm and affections.
3. Difficulty distinguishing feelings from bodily sensations that accompany emotional arousal. Emotions are often accompanied by physiological symptoms such as sweating, rapid heart rate, etc. Alexithymics physiological manifestations attributed these vague symptoms or mistake them for the emotion itself. When you feel strong emotions, this person simply describes a physical discomfort of a vague way.
4. Reduced capacity for symbolic thinking and fantasy. They usually have a concrete thinking problems in handling symbolic of emotions. His speech is monotonous, meager and without emotional overtones. Just enter changes in gesture or tone of voice, sitting rigidly and his face is expressionless.
5. Concern for detail and external events. In their language there are only abstract and symbolic references, but merely to describe specifics without an affective tone
6. Action used as a coping strategy in situations of conflict. The way to solve an unpleasant emotional state in these people, is the realization of direct behaviors. They have a practical guidance and a little contact with his psychic reality.
ْ
________*التــَّـوْقـْـيـعُ*_________
لا أحد يظن أن العظماء تعساء إلا العظماء أنفسهم. إدوارد ينج: شاعر إنجليزي