The importance of assessing alexithymia in psychological research

Abstract

Alexithymia is defined as a difficulty in identifying and describing one’s own emotions. The increased study of this subclinical condition has revealed that alexithymia can account for certain characteristics, which are presently incorporated into the classifications of various clinical conditions. An example is the extent to which alexithymia can account for differences in emotional processing and empathy in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Being a prevalent transdiagnostic factor, alexithymia challenges our definitions and assessments of a wide variety of clinical conditions. Subsequently, this discussion paper aims to highlight the importance of controlling for the effects of alexithymia on task performance by employing alexithymia assessments in psychological research.