Alexithymia and Individual Differences in Emotion Valuation and Sensory Processing
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Date
2020
Authors
Rigby, Sarah Nugent
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Abstract
Alexithymia is a dimensional personality trait characterized by difficulties identifying and describing feelings (DIF, DDF) and an externally-oriented thinking (EOT) style; it is also associated with impairments in emotion perception. The overarching goal of my dissertation was to investigate the ways in which alexithymic traits predict natural variation in our evaluation of emotional scenes, and in sensory processing more generally. In an initial experimental study, 106 adults completed measures of alexithymia and sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and then made speeded judgments regarding the pleasantness of emotional scenes. Participants with stronger EOT and those who reported being easily overwhelmed by sensory environments evaluated the valence of positive scenes less accurately than those reporting low levels of these traits. Strong EOT also predicted less accurate evaluation of scenes depicting implied motion. I next used a survey-based approach to explore links between alexithymia and the processing of and responsiveness to environmental and body-based sensory cues in a non-clinical sample of 201 adults. My initial findings supported the view that EOT and problems with emotional appraisal (DIF/DDF) are distinct in a general sample, with each subscale showing unique relationships to certain aspects of sensory processing. Importantly, a mediation analysis suggested that links between interoceptive impairment and alexithymic traits could be accounted for by an individual’s general sensory processing style. I next applied latent profile analysis to determine whether interrelationships between my study variables varied across distinct subgroups of individuals. This analysis revealed five classes of individuals that could be meaningfully distinguished by their relative strength of different alexithymic traits, and by differences in their interoceptive accuracy and sensory profiles. The classes identified included two lexithymic, one typical, and two alexithymic groups, showing different susceptibilities to SPS. My dissertation provides support for the view that alexithymia is a multifaceted trait characterized by atypicalities in sensory processing that could impact embodiment, and perceptual and cognitive processes. As alexithymia is a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology and a range of physical health problems, this basic research may have important implications for clinical science and intervention.
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Keywords
Alexithymia, Emotion, Sensory Processing Sensitivity, Scene perception, Latent profile analysis