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Glite Dictionary
alexithymia

alexithymia

1 9.9
A condition where a person has trouble noticing and describing their feelings
  • noun
  • /ˌælɪkˈθaɪmiə/
  • Specialized
: alexitimia
  • Once regarded as a condition to be clinically inferred from an analysis of behavior, alexithymia is now directly measurable through the Toronto Alexithymia Scale developed at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry by Taylor, Bagby, and Parker (1997).
  • clinically relevant alexithymia
  • alexithymia and verbal
  • relevant alexithymia

But when it comes to that interceptive like inner sensation, I was diagnosed with alexithymia.

Examples

  • Many people with alexithymia struggle to articulate their feelings during conversations.

  • He realized that his alexithymia made it difficult for him to connect emotionally with others.

  • So alexithymia is is a term that means the inability to kind of communicate emotions.

  • Persons who evince alexithymia, they assert, "are often said not to have an inner life."

    Academic text (2003)

  • The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) questionnaire was used to evaluate alexithymia, i.e., the difficulty in identifying and describing feelings.

    Blog text (3)

  • The therapist explained that alexithymia can prevent individuals from recognizing their own emotions.

Surface Forms

alexithymia singular
alexithymias plural

Morphology

alexithymia = a + lex + ithym + ia

The word is constructed from Greek roots and is not transparent to English learners without specialized knowledge in medical or psychological terminology.

Etymology

Alexithymia comes from Greek parts a- 'not', lexis 'word', and thymia 'emotion', so it literally means 'no words for emotions'. That's why alexithymia describes a difficulty noticing or saying what you feel.