The Measure of Symbolic Function in Alexithymic Pain Patients
- 1 January 1983
- journal article
- research article
- Published by S. Karger AG in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
- Vol. 39 (2) , 65-76
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000287724
Abstract
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 < 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.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- The SAT9: A Quantitative Scoring System for the AT9 Test as a Measure of Symbolic Function Central to Alexithymic PresentationPsychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1983
- Psychometric Properties of a Scale to Measure AlexithymiaPsychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1981
- The Development of an MMPI Alexithymia ScalePsychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1980