Alexithymia & Monotropism
"Difficulty identifying and describing emotions — not absence of emotion."
What is Alexithymia?
Definition: Difficulty identifying, describing, and distinguishing emotions from bodily sensations.
Not: Absence of emotion Is: Difficulty processing and communicating emotional experience
Etymology: Greek — "no words for emotions"
Prevalence: ~10% general population, ~50% autistic population
Core Features
- Difficulty identifying feelings
- Difficulty describing feelings to others
- Confusion between emotions and bodily sensations
- Limited imagination and fantasy
- Externally-oriented thinking style
Connection to Monotropism
Attention Allocation Explains It
Interoception requires attention.
Interoception = awareness of internal bodily states (hunger, heart rate, temperature, emotions).
In monotropic attention, when focus is external, interoceptive signals may not be processed.
"When I'm working, I don't notice I'm hungry until I'm shaking."
The same mechanism that creates deep focus creates reduced internal awareness.
Not Emotional Deficit
Traditional view: "Autistics don't feel emotions properly."
Reality: Emotions are present. Processing and labeling are different.
Evidence:
- Physiological emotional responses present
- Emotional expression may be atypical but real
- Difficulty is with identification and communication
Practical Implications
For autistic individuals:
- You're not broken — you process differently
- External cues can help identify internal states
- Scheduled check-ins with yourself
- Body mapping practices
For supporters:
- Don't assume emotional absence from expression differences
- Provide time for emotional processing
- Accept alternative emotional communication
The Integration
Monotropism provides a mechanism:
- Attention tunnel on external world
- Internal signals in peripheral (offline)
- Emotion happens but isn't labeled in real-time
Alexithymia isn't separate from monotropism. It may be a manifestation of it.