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Alexithymia and repression: contrasting emotion-focused coping styles

T L Newton1, R J Contrada

  • 1Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Oxford, Ohio.

Psychosomatic Medicine
|September 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Alexithymia and repressive coping are distinct emotion regulation styles. Repressive coping resembles low alexithymia, differing significantly from high alexithymia in emotional response patterns.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Health Psychology

Background:

  • Emotion-focused coping styles are linked to physical well-being.
  • Alexithymia and repressive coping are conceptually similar but distinct constructs.
  • Understanding their relationship is crucial for psychological and physical health research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare alexithymia and repressive coping using psychometric and psychophysiological methods.
  • To differentiate between high and low anxious individuals and repressors.
  • To analyze emotional response patterns during a stressful task.

Main Methods:

  • 86 healthy female subjects were classified as low anxious, high anxious, or repressors.
  • Psychometric measures included alexithymia self-report questionnaires.

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  • Psychophysiological assessment involved comparing self-reported negative affect with heart rate during a stressful speech task.

    • Main Results:

    • High anxious subjects scored significantly higher on alexithymia than repressors.
    • High alexithymics showed greater self-reported negative affect than heart rate response (high anxious pattern).
    • Low alexithymics displayed a heart rate response exceeding self-reported negative affect (repressor pattern).

    Conclusions:

    • Alexithymia and repressive coping are distinct psychological constructs.
    • Repressive coping aligns more closely with low alexithymia than high alexithymia.
    • These findings clarify the differential impact of coping styles on emotional and physiological responses.