ABSTRACT
Under the next subheadings, a more detailed clarification of the constructs of alexithymia, defense, and their interrelationship will be given. Furthermore, the relation between alexithymia and hemispheric specialization will be discussed. The relationship between defense mechanisms and lateral brain dominance will be elucidated as well. The theoretical part will be concluded with several hypotheses on: a) The association between defense mechanism measures obtained with different instruments, b) The association between alexithymia and defense mechanisms, c) Alexithymia and lateral brain dominance, and d) Defense mechanisms and lateral dominance.
