Alexithymia and Sociocultural Factors in a Japanese Sample
A Study with the Rorschach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13649283 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michiko Akimoto (Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, corresponding author), Isao Fukunishi (Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry), Takanobu Baba (Doshisha University), Motoko Matsumori (Kaya Clinic), Masaya Iwai (Kubota Clinic) |
| Year | 2002 |
| Volume | 90 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 205-211 |
| Publication date | 2002-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.2002.90.1.205 |
| PMID | 11898984 |
| OpenAlex | W2091476278 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 9 |
We reexamined the Japanese version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, a self-report sc ale for measuring alexithymic characteristics, by comparing the scores on three factors and the total scores with variables of the Rorschach in a sample of 40 (originally 48) Japanese college students. Based on prior studies, our aims were to further validate the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale by comparing its scores with those on a projective technique. We also investigated whether sociocultural factors, such as repression of hostility. are associated with scores on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (especially Factor 3). None of the seven Rorschach Alexithymia Variables were significantly related to the factors and total scores of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. However, scores for Factor 1 (difficulty identifying feelings) of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale correlated positively with scores on Sum C' (reserved responses to emotional stimuli) and Adj es (stimulus demand), suggesting that individuals who score high for Factor 1 experience gloomy, depressive feelings but in constricted ways. Scores for Factor 3 (externally oriented thinking) correlated positively with the D scores (stress tolerance) and negatively with m (situational stress) responses, suggesting that Factor 3 may reflect a psychological defense that enhances stress tolerance. There was a nonsignificant negative correlation between Factor 1 and Factor 3 scores, but, unlike our hypothesis. Factor 3 was neither related to AG (aggression) nor S (space responses reflecting oppositional tendency), indices of aggression or hostility in the Rorschach Comprehensive System. It may be that the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Rorschach measure quite different aspects of personality, but further research is necessary
Aggression · Alexithymia · Developmental psychology · Feeling · Hostility · Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory · Personality · Rorschach test · Toronto Alexithymia Scale · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Clinical Psychology · Personality Disorders and Psychopathology · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments · Social Psychology
Disorders of Affect Regulation
The Prevalence of ‘Alexithymic’ Characteristics in Psychosomatic Patients
Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale
The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia scale—I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure
Alexithymia ratings in bulimia nervosa
Coping with Inner Feelings and Stress
Is Alexithymia a Culture-Bound Construct? Validity and Reliability of the Japanese Versions of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Modified Beth Israel Hospital Psychosomatic Questionnaire
| Citations per year | 0.15 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2013 - 2019 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |