Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.813 sample items
About this scale
A 20-item self-report measure of alexithymia — difficulty identifying and describing feelings — across three subscales: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking.
Sample item(s)
“I am often confused about what emotion I am feeling (identifying)”
“It is difficult for me to find the right words for my feelings (describing)”
“I prefer to analyze problems rather than just describe them (externally-oriented)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.81. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use.
Source & 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, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 23–32.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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