RESUMO
Alexithymia is a clinical phenomenon that has been found to occur with some frequency in psychosomatic disorders. Its prevalence in psychosomatic patients suggests that it could be observed in chronic pain patients as well. The present study examines the incidence of alexithymia in chronic pain patients as assessed by the Archetypal Test with Nine Elements (AT9). Patients' scores on the AT9 (SAT9) were examined in conjunction with McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) data, MMPI subscale scores, and patient data. There were no significant relationships found between SAT9, MMPI, and MPQ scores. These observations are examined with reference to the nature of the assessment instruments used. Implications of these observations for theory and therapy are discussed.
Assuntos
Sintomas Afetivos/diagnóstico , Dor/psicologia , Testes Psicológicos , Sintomas Afetivos/epidemiologia , Sintomas Afetivos/psicologia , Terapia Comportamental , Doença Crônica , Feminino , Humanos , MMPI , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Dor/complicações , Manejo da Dor , Inventário de Personalidade , Técnicas Projetivas , Transtornos Psicofisiológicos/diagnóstico , Transtornos Psicofisiológicos/psicologiaRESUMO
This paper traces the author's empirical research journey into the measurement of symbolic function as a dimension of alexithymia. The archetypal test with 9 elements (AT9) is proposed as a tool to discrimnate between forms and degrees of disorganization in symbolic behavior of alexithymic subjects. The results seem to indicate that the AT9 test is able to differentiate a primary from a secondary alexithymic subject.
Assuntos
Sintomas Afetivos/diagnóstico , Simbolismo , Sintomas Afetivos/psicologia , Humanos , Imaginação , Mitologia , Dor/psicologia , Técnicas ProjetivasRESUMO
The archetypal test with 9 elements (AT9), a tracer of symbolic function, was completed by 30 pain patients in whom alexithymia had been measured by two means: the Beth Israel psychosomatic questionnaire (BIQ) and the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI) alexithymia scale. Results show a correlation of adequate statistical significance (p less than 0.05) between the AT9 and the BIQ but not with the MMPI alexithymia scale. The scored AT9 (SAT9) allows one to discriminate between forms and degrees of disorganization in symbolic activity within an alexithymic population. The AT9 measures something central to the construct of alexithymia and its advantages and possibilities over other tools to assess alexithymia are discussed.
Assuntos
Sintomas Afetivos/psicologia , Fantasia , Dor Intratável/psicologia , Transtornos Psicofisiológicos/psicologia , Simbolismo , Feminino , Humanos , MMPI , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Técnicas Projetivas , Testes Psicológicos , PsicometriaRESUMO
This paper reports the result of preliminary efforts to devise a more objective and quantifiable system with which to score the AT9 test. The AT9 traces symbolic function, a trait central to an alexithymic presentation, and until now has been available only to those clinicians who have the prior knowledge necessary to projectively interpret it. Based on a sample of 42 patients, the inter-rater reliability on the new scale (SAT9) reaches highly acceptable levels of significance as does the correlation between the SAT9 and the ranked projectively interpreted protocols (RPAT9). These results support the further refinement of the SAT9 scale as a means of facilitating the use of this test as a measure of a central alexithymic process.
