title: Somatothymia.
abstract: The development of affective language is a complex process that may be influenced by sociocultural, psychodynamic, developmental, cognitive, and behavioral factors. This article, published in two parts, discusses the multidimensional factors influencing the acquisition and expression of affective language. The terms somatothymia and somatothymic language, derived from the concept of alexithymia, are introduced to describe the phenomenon of utilizing somatic language to communicate psychological distress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stoudemire
mesh_terms: D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010553:Personality Development; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D012931:Social Environment; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*