Are all men partially alexithymic?
The stereotypical male is renowned for making obtuse remarks in sensitive contexts, for being unable to talk about his feelings and for misunderstanding emotional signals from partners. (For prime examples, see John Gray’s Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus books). Does that mean that the typical man is alexithymic? No. It’s a myth founded on a misunderstanding. The stereotypical male may not say anything about his emotions and may have difficulty trying to verbalize his feelings. But he is also fiercely passionateabout women, cars, football, career, house and children. He has not been educated or encouraged to express his feelings verbally, but he understands what they imply and acts accordingly. He may be deficient in emotional expression but he shows no impairments in awareness of feelings or in understanding what the feelings signify. Hence he is not alexithymic. It is arguable that men (in general) are less able to understand the signs and implications of social emotions tha
