Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...

Empathy

Empathy

Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor.

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...

Attachment

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...

Importance of Need for Affiliation

Importance of Need for Affiliation

The need for affiliation is a fundamental human motive that drives individuals to form and maintain interpersonal relationships. This universal drive varies in intensity among individuals due to genetic predispositions and life experiences, shaping it into a relatively stable personality trait. Social inclusion enhances emotional well-being by fulfilling the need for affiliation, whereas social exclusion leads to distress, negative emotions, and cognitive impairments.Psychological and Emotional...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Recidivism rates of sex offenders managed under the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act 2003: an evaluation of actuarial justice.

Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law·2021

Same author

Psychological and Legal Aspects of Dangerous Sex Offenders: A Review of the Literature.

Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law·2020

Same author

Impacts of dance on cognition, psychological symptoms and quality of life in Parkinson's disease.

NeuroRehabilitation·2019

Same author

Implementation of the North Carolina HIV Bridge Counseling Program to Facilitate Linkage and Reengagement in Care for Individuals Infected with HIV/AIDS.

North Carolina medical journal·2018

Same author

Genomewide DNA methylation analysis in combat veterans reveals a novel locus for PTSD.

Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2017

Same author

Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of human brain tissue from schizophrenia patients.

Translational psychiatry·2014

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

Parental bonding and alexithymia: a meta-analysis.

F A Thorberg¹, R McD Young, K A Sullivan

¹Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia. f.thorberg@qut.edu.au

European Psychiatry : the Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists

|February 1, 2011

Summary

This meta-analysis reveals a strong link between maternal care and alexithymia, particularly difficulties in identifying and describing feelings. Parenting styles significantly influence alexithymia traits, with implications for future research.

More Related Videos

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

Published on: October 13, 2017

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

Published on: September 22, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

Published on: October 13, 2017

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect

Published on: September 22, 2023

Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychiatry
Developmental Psychology

Background:

Alexithymia, characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, is associated with various psychological conditions.
Parenting styles are recognized as crucial environmental factors influencing child development and psychological well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

To conduct the first meta-analysis examining the relationship between alexithymia, measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and parenting styles, assessed via the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI).
To quantify the strength of association between specific dimensions of parenting and alexithymia.

Main Methods:

A systematic literature search was conducted across Web of Science, PsycInfo, PubMed, and ProQuest: Dissertations and Theses.
Nine studies with sufficient data were included in this meta-analysis.

Main Results:

Moderate to strong positive associations were found between maternal care and overall alexithymia.
Maternal care showed significant relationships with the TAS-20 facets of Difficulties Describing Feelings and Difficulties Identifying Feelings.
Moderate relationships were observed between maternal and paternal overprotection and alexithymia, as well as the Difficulties Describing Feelings facet.

Conclusions:

This meta-analysis provides robust evidence for a significant association between parenting styles, particularly maternal care, and alexithymia.
Findings underscore the importance of early caregiving experiences in the development of emotional processing difficulties.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex interplay between parenting and alexithymia.