Toronto Alexithymia Scale

What it measures

The standard measure of alexithymia — difficulty identifying and describing feelings and an externally oriented cognitive style. Associated with somatic disorders, addiction, and emotional processing difficulties. Widely used in clinical neuropsychology.

Response format

Likert (1–5, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Representative items

• I am often confused about what emotion I am feeling. (DIF)
• I find it hard to describe how I feel about people. (DDF)
• I prefer to analyse problems rather than just describe them. (R, EOT)
• I have feelings that I can't quite identify. (DIF)
• I prefer talking about daily activities rather than feelings. (EOT)

This is a licensed instrument — representative items are shown for reference only. Obtain the original scale materials from the publisher before use in research.

Usage notes & scoring

(R)=reverse-scored (5 items). Cut-offs: <=51 non-alexithymic, 52–60 possible alexithymia, >=61 alexithymic. Research licence available from Taylor and Bagby.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Bagby, R.M., Parker, J.D.A., & Taylor, G.J. (1994). The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale – I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38(1), 23–32.

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