Ego defensive styles and alexithymia: A discriminant validation study

Fifty-six mildly depressed psychiatric outpatients were evaluated for alexithymia measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Each subject also completed a Defensive Style Questionnaire that assessed the maturity of their ego defenses. Alexithymia was strongly associated with immature ego defenses, but not with depression. The data suggests that alexithymia and such primitive defensive operations are separate phenomena. These findings empirically support earlier observations regarding the nature of alexithymia.