Self-Assessment
Alexithymia Test
Informed by Alexithymia Research
Explore how you identify and describe your emotions. A free research-based alexithymia assessment using the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ).
The research behind alexithymia
What decades of psychological research tell us about emotional awareness.
Alexithymia is a trait involving difficulty identifying, describing, and processing emotions. It is not a mental health diagnosis. It sits on a spectrum: everyone falls somewhere between very high emotional awareness and very low. Research consistently finds three core components:
The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) measures all five facets shown above, separating how you process unpleasant emotions from pleasant ones. The original TAS-20 groups them into three broader factors (DIF, DDF, EOT) without distinguishing emotional valence.
From the Research
"The TAS-20 demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and a three-factor structure."
— Parker, Bagby & Taylor (1994). The Twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale—I. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38(1), 23-32.
"Alexithymia is a dimensional (rather than categorical) construct."
— Preece et al. (2018). Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) Scoring Manual.
"PAQ scores loaded cleanly on an alexithymia factor, while TAS-20 DIF cross-loaded with general distress."
— Preece et al. (2024). Alexithymia or general psychological distress? Personality and Individual Differences.
Why this matters for your results: Alexithymia scores can overlap with general distress. If you are going through a difficult period, your score may be temporarily elevated. Results reflect self-reported patterns, not a fixed trait.
How we built this assessment
This assessment uses the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) by Preece et al. (2018), a freely available instrument that measures five facets of alexithymia across positive and negative emotions.
The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), developed by Bagby, Parker, and Taylor in 1994, is the most widely studied alexithymia measure but requires a paid license to administer. We do not reproduce TAS-20 items on this page.
About the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire
The PAQ was developed by Preece, Becerra, Robinson, and Dandy (2018). It measures the same core alexithymia components as TAS-20 (difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, externally oriented thinking) with an added distinction between processing positive vs. negative emotions.
The PAQ scoring manual explicitly states:
"You can administer the PAQ to respondents online... you do not need to contact us."
— Preece et al. (2018). PAQ Scoring Manual.
Scoring and norms
PAQ results are interpreted using norm-referenced z-scores from a community sample of 748 adults (Total Sample norms from the PAQ manual). The manual reports high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha approximately .96 for total score, .89-.91 for subscales).
How alexithymia relates to other assessments
Different tools measure different aspects of emotional functioning.
Different construct
Emotional Intelligence
EI measures your ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others. Alexithymia measures difficulty at the earlier stage of recognizing and labeling emotions at all.
Take the EI test →Related but distinct
Emotion Regulation (DERS)
DERS measures how well you manage emotions once you know what they are. Alexithymia is about whether you can identify those emotions in the first place.
Take the DERS →Complementary
Five Facet Mindfulness
FFMQ includes facets like "observing" and "describing" inner experiences, which overlap conceptually. But mindfulness is about intentional awareness, while alexithymia measures a difficulty with that awareness.
Take the FFMQ →Frequently Asked Questions
No. The TAS-20 is a copyrighted 20-item instrument developed by R. Michael Bagby, James D. A. Parker, and Graeme J. Taylor. It requires a paid licensing agreement ($40+) for any use, including research. Our alexithymia test uses the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (PAQ) by Preece et al. (2018), which is a freely available alternative that measures the same core construct — difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking — through independently developed items.
The TAS-20 (Bagby, Parker & Taylor, 1994) has been the dominant alexithymia measure for three decades, cited in over 3,000 studies. However, researchers have noted limitations with its Externally Oriented Thinking subscale and a negative item bias. The Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire (Preece et al., 2018) was developed to address these issues, with balanced positive/negative items and stronger factor loadings. Both instruments measure the same three-component model of alexithymia identified by Nemiah, Freyberger, and Sifneos (1976).
Alexithymia is a personality construct describing difficulty identifying and describing one's own emotions. The term was coined by Peter Sifneos in 1973. It is not a mental health diagnosis but a trait that exists on a spectrum. Research estimates 10-13% of the general population scores above the clinical threshold. Alexithymia is associated with difficulties in interpersonal relationships, somatic symptoms, and co-occurs with conditions like depression, PTSD, and autism spectrum conditions (Taylor, Bagby & Parker, 1997).
About this tool and its limitations
This page provides a free alexithymia self-assessment using the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire. It is an educational tool, not a clinical instrument.