Hög grad av alexitymi kan ge sämre förmåga till kognitiv empati. Svårigheter att identifiera egna emotioner ger också otrygg anknytning
Engelsk titel: High-degree of alexythymia can decrease cognitive empathic ability. Difficulties identifying your own emotions are also associated with insecure attachment
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Författare:
Sonnby-Borgström, Marianne
Email: marianne.sonnby-borgstrom@mah.se
Språk: Swe
Antal referenser: 20
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 10061216
Sammanfattning
The present article is a summary and discussion of an article published 2009 in Neuropsychoanalysis (1). The study investigated alexithymia in relation to facial imitation, empathy, attachment (models-of-self, models-of-others), and the degree of correspondence between facial responses (somatic affect) and reported emotional contagion (mentalization of affects). Pictures of angry, happy, and sad faces were presented and electromyographic activity from the corrugator (negative emotions) and zygomaticus (positive emotions) facial muscles was measured and emotional contagion was reported after exposures. Self-report questionnaires measured alexithymia, attachment, and empathy. Alexithymia correlated negatively with models-of-self and -others, and with cognitive empathy. High-alexithymia participants showed only zygomaticus imitation, whereas low-alexithymia participants showed both zygomaticus and corrugator imitation. The clinical implications of the results are discussed in relation to a therapeutic model based on mentalization.