Alexithymia and the Split Brain

Abstract

8 commissurotomy patients and 8 precision-matched normal control subjects were shown a 3-min videotaped film about death. Content analysis of the subjects' spoken and written responses to this film was carried out on the global, interpretive level, for 2 fantasy and 4 symbolization variables. Commissurotomy patients were found to be significantly more alexithymic than normal controls for 3 of the symbolization variables, for factor-analytic measures of fantasy and symbolization, and for an over-all measure of alexithymia derived from these 2 factors and lexical-level and sentential-level measures of alexithymia.