Theory of Mind and Alexithymia: Emotional Self-Awareness and the Other's Face in a Sample of Cancer Patients and Contrast Group

espanolA traves de esta investigacion se busco ver si existe relacion entre alexitimia y el reconoci- miento de estados mentales afectivos en la mirada; e indagar al mismo tiempo, en la posible influencia que la condicion de cancer pudiera tener. De este modo, se pretendio establecer diferencias en estas variables, en un grupo con y sin alexitimia de pacientes con cancer ( n = 98) y un grupo de contraste ( n = 79) sin condicion clinica. Para este estudio se trabajo con pacientes del area de oncologia de dos hospitales en Chile, puesto que de manera consis - tente se ha vinculado a la alexitimia e inhibicion como un rasgo de personalidad asociado a personas que padecen cancer. Los resultados indicaron que el reconocido deficit en auto - conciencia emocional en alexitimicos se manifestaria, a su vez, en una capacidad disminuida en dar cuenta del trasfondo mental de los demas, y este resultado seria independiente de la condicion de padecer o no cancer. EnglishThis research study sought to determine the existence of a relationship between alexithymia and the recognition of emotion in people’s eyes. Similarly, to investigate the possible influ - ence that the cancer condition has in this emotional recognition deficits. Thus, we sought to identify differences in these variables in a group with and without alexithymia of patients with cancer and a contrast group without clinical condition. For this study, we worked with oncology patients in two hospitals in Chile, as it consistently has been linked to inhibition and alexithymia as a personality trait associated with people with cancer. The results indicated that the recognized deficit in self-consciousness emotional in alexithymics would manifest, in turn, in a diminished capacity in accounting for the mental background of others, and this result would be independent of the condition of suffering or not cancer.