Alexithymia is a nuanced, multidimensional psychological construct that can impact a person’s ability to function in daily life as evidenced by challenges in school and work as well as treatment and criminal justice settings. Typically, research studies have reported that alexithymia is characterized by deficits in the capacities to process, experience, recognize, describe, identify, and label emotions. There are two types of alexithymia found in the empirically based research literature: primary and secondary. Primary alexithymia is defined as a trait that emerges early in life, whereas secondary alexithymia is considered a condition that results from the experience of trauma later in one’s life. Table 1 summarizes these symptoms and other features of alexithymia commonly reported in the peer-reviewed literature, although the presence and severity of these features can significantly vary by person.

As much as 10 percent of the general population may be impacted by alexithymia. Research suggests that the prevalence rate of alexithymia is substantially higher in criminal justice–involved populations relative to the general population. Why might people with alexithymia be more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system? Peer-reviewed research shows that alexithymia is associated with a wide range of problematic behaviors, psychiatric disorders, and experiences that can increase the risk of criminal justice involvement (see Table 2). Nonetheless, many criminal justice professionals are unfamiliar with alexithymia, despite this topic being researched and investigated for several decades. This lack of familiarity is likely due to the limited education and training programs available on alexithymia in criminal justice contexts.

Complicating matters, interviewing individuals with alexithymia in criminal justice settings can be a challenging process. In fact, individuals with alexithymia may be at a significant disadvantage as they navigate through the various stages of the criminal justice system (arrest, trial, sentencing, confinement, probation, court-ordered treatment, etc.). The serious and long-term consequences associated with alexithymia necessitates that criminal justice professionals acquire additional education and training. As such, criminal justice professionals are strongly encouraged to increase their knowledge of alexithymia. Increased awareness and knowledge of alexithymia among criminal justice professionals has the potential to improve how suspects, defendants, and witnesses are interviewed and treated. To this end, the present article highlights 16 key points about alexithymia that all criminal justice professionals need to know.

1. Possible Causes of Alexithymia

Alexithymia is likely caused or influenced by a confluence of biological and environmental factors. Potential contributing factors may include cognitive deficits (e.g., executive dysfunction); adverse childhood experiences (e.g., neglect, bullying, and other forms of trauma); poor bonding with primary caregivers; parental psychopathology or substance use; psychiatric disorders (e.g., anxiety and depression); exposure to chronic stress (e.g., burnout); hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction; or other neurobiopsychosocial factors. Regardless of the cause(s) or contributing factors, the consequences of alexithymia can be severe in nature and contribute to involvement in the criminal justice system.

2. Associated Consequences

The experiences of alexithymia can precipitate several consequences, particularly when alexithymia goes undetected and untreated by professionals. For instance, alexithymia is considered a potential contributing factor to several different psychiatric, psychosomatic, substance use, neurological, and physical health conditions (for an overview, see Table 3). Beyond these conditions, research has reported that alexithymia is associated with a diverse array of traits and behaviors (see Table 4).

3. Language

Language-centered communication abilities are at the crux of several different symptoms of alexithymia. For instance, individuals with alexithymia often struggle to describe, label, or express their emotions. Similarly, difficulty processing emotions during verbal and nonverbal tasks is common among those with alexithymia. These language-centered deficits should be carefully considered by criminal justice professionals, as several studies have reported that language impairments are extremely common among individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Areas of particular concern include an interviewee’s ability to process, understand, and use language effectively during the interviewing process.

4. Speech Patterns

Patterns of speech is another area where individuals with alexithymia may exhibit differences from the general population. Specifically, individuals with alexithymia tend to be less likely to utilize terms that are affective in nature. Other notable differences include a reliance on auxiliary verbs, a predisposition to incomplete sentences, and a proneness to not including the subject in a sentence. In general, individuals with alexithymia exhibit speech patterns that are often described as flat or dull.

5. Poor Sleep Quality

Individuals with alexithymia frequently experience poor sleep quality. Even in the absence of alexithymia, interviewees who are sleep-deprived are vulnerable to several different deleterious criminal justice outcomes (e.g., false confessions). In some instances, interviewees with sleep deprivation may be at an increased risk of suggestibility and confabulation. This could contribute to inaccurate or false statements. Other vulnerabilities associated with sleep deprivation during the interviewing process include reduced information-processing abilities, poor decision-making capabilities, and reduced memory performance, all of which have serious consequences in criminal justice settings.

6. Emotional Suppression

Difficulties with appraising one’s own current emotional state and developing emotion schemas are common among those with alexithymia. As a direct result, emotion (dys)regulation issues (e.g., suppression and avoidance) typically co-occur with alexithymia. These potential emotional reactions and behavioral presentations may contribute to poor interviewee outcomes during interviews in criminal justice settings.

7. Atypical Eye Gaze

Individuals with alexithymia often exhibit atypical eye gazes when expressing emotions with facial expressions. For example, a person with alexithymia may stare for long periods of time or show reduced eye contact during criminal justice interviews. Further, research demonstrates that individuals with alexithymia generally struggle with discerning and understanding emotions like sadness, anger, and fear from the facial expressions of others.

8. Dissociative Tendencies

Research suggests that there may be a link between dissociative tendencies and alexithymia. This underlying connection could help explain the affective, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities of those with alexithymia. Some hypothesize that both of these conditions might be involuntary affective responses that assist survivors in overcoming serious trauma. As such, learning red flag indicators of dissociation and alexithymia could be beneficial for criminal justice professionals.

9. Humor Deficits

Alexithymia could be characterized by an underappreciation of humor. At the crux of this phenomenon might be deficits in empathy. For example, a person with alexithymia may struggle to understand humor or make humor-based statements that unintentionally confuse or offend others.

10. Behavioral Addictions and Other Compulsive Behaviors

Individuals with alexithymia are disproportionately likely to exhibit compulsive behavioral problems (e.g., shopping, gambling, and eating disorders). As such, criminal justice professionals should carefully weigh the possibility of alexithymia when interviewing someone with a history of compulsive behavioral problems.

11. Emotional Regulation Deficits

Alexithymia is characterized by several impairments in emotion regulation. This includes issues with the ability to recognize and comprehend the emotions of others, even when presented with the facial expressions of these people. As a result, individuals with alexithymia often struggle to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships in the real world. Criminal justice professionals should be cognizant of these emotional regulation deficits when interviewing people.

12. Behavior Problems Associated with Alexithymia

Alexithymia is often correlated with impulsivity, aggression, and substance use problems. In addition to the externalizing behavioral problems, alexithymia is also associated with internalizing problems like negative moods and emotions. These often include anxiety, rumination, and depression. The underlying connection between alexithymia and externalizing and internalizing problems could be difficulties with affective regulation.

13. Self-Injurious Behaviors

Unawareness of current emotions could contribute to the emotion regulation problems common among those with alexithymia. This could place individuals with alexithymia at an increased risk for self-injurious behaviors, particularly when exposed to stressful situations such as police interviews and interrogations.

14. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) could play a critical role in the emergence of alexithymia. In a related line of research, ACEs are associated with emotion dysregulation problems. As such, the experience of neglect, abuse, and other forms of trauma early in life should be viewed as red flag indicators for alexithymia. This is critical in criminal justice settings where so many criminal justice–involved individuals present with histories of trauma.

15. Impulsivity and Aggressive Tendencies

Researchers have long hypothesized that impulsivity could help explain the association between alexithymia and aggression. In recent years, researchers have begun to consider the role of emotion dysregulation in the aggressive behaviors of individuals with alexithymia. Such an approach could be fruitful in addressing domestic violence and other forms of aggressive behaviors in those with alexithymia. Further, criminal justice professionals are encouraged to consider the possibility of alexithymia when interviewing individuals with a history of impulsive and aggressive behaviors.

16. Other Related Concepts

Alexithymia overlaps, at least partially, with a diverse array of constructs. These include emotional and social intelligence, executive function, self-control, theory of mind (ToM), and active defensive processes (e.g., emotional suppression and repression). Criminal justice professionals are encouraged to learn about these topics to develop increased awareness and understanding of alexithymia.

Conclusion

Although the information shared in this article is only a starting point, criminal justice professionals should take special precautions when interviewing individuals with alexithymia (see Table 5). Further, they should carefully consider important questions about the person’s nature and abilities (see Table 6). As mentioned earlier, seeking out additional education, training, and resources offers criminal justice professionals the best opportunity to help minimize the consequences of alexithymia on criminal justice outcomes.

Read the next article in the series.

Please cite as

Jerrod Brown, “Interview Considerations – Alexithymia: A Beginner’s Guide for Criminal Justice Professionals,” Police Chief Online, August 3, 2022.