Alexithymia와 신체화에 관한 연구

A Clinical Study on Alexithymia and Somatization

The construct of alexithymia has been postulated as a predisposing factor of psychosomatic illness. So alexithymia construct has achieved wide range of interest in psychosomatic research. A number of studies have attempted to develop scales for the empirical measurement of alexithymia. This purpose of this study was to find the alexithymic characteristics in somatization patients by means of Rorschach alexithymia variables which were used by Marvin et al. Somatization patients were compared with major depression group and antisocial personality disorder group. The results were as follows. 1) Somatization patients exhibit alexithymic properties which are low response productivity (R), restricted affective response (low weighted Sum C), poorly adapted affect (low FC), concrete cognition (low Blends) and deficient ideational and affective assets (low EA). 2) Comparison between somatization group and major depression group exhibits similarity except for human movement percepts(M). 3) Comparison between somatization group and antisocial personality disorder group exhibits significant difference except for perceptual stereotype (high Lambda)