Self-perception of affect expression.

Definitions of alexithymia rest upon the assumption that the trait is characterized by deficits in emotional processing though impaired perception of one's own emotion is considered a core feature of alexithymia, empirical investigation of this deficit is lacking. Additionally, the impact of alexithymia on pain experience, perception and expression has not been well investigated. In this study, participants were covertly videotaped as they rated their feelings during a cold pressor task and an emotional slide-viewing task. In a second session, participants viewed clips of their faces expressing emotion and pain, and made a second set of ratings to determine perceptual accuracy. Results indicate that: while participants are accurate in rating their own facial expressions of emotion and of pain, high scores on components of alexithymia are associated with specific deficits in self-perception of negative emotion, a tendency to rate self-perceived negative emotion as less negative, and increased subjective pain intensity. --Leaf ii.