Alexithymia and repression: The role of defensiveness and trait anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, repressive coping, defensiveness and trait anxiety. The Marlowe-Crowne scale (MC) and the Bendig version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) were used to select repressor and control group subjects, who subsequently completed the revised Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results showed that repressors (high MC, low MAS) scored significantly lower on the TAS-20 than all other subjects, including a defensive high anxious group (high MC, high MAS) and a low-anxious group (low MC, low MAS). The results suggest that repressorsʹ low alexithymia score was due to the combination of defensiveness and anxiety and not high defensiveness or low trait anxiety alone. Possible reasons for repressersʹ low alexithymia score are discussed.