Explanation of Alexithymia in Terms of Personality Dimensions in a Sample of General Population

This study investigated the relationship of alexithymia with personality dimensions in a sample of general population. 750 participants (325 male, 325 female) completed the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEOPI-R) and the Farsi Version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20). Alexithymia were positively associated with neuroticism and negatively associated with extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Openness was negatively correlated with externally oriented thinking only. The results support that personality characteristics will influence cognitive and emotional processing in alexithymia.