ABSTRACT
The vast majority of research on alexithymia in sport, however, is in the high-risk sport literature. Within this literature, researchers have typically viewed alexithymia as a possible underlying motive for engaging in the high-risk domain activity. In sport and exercise settings, there is currently only a limited amount of research on alexithymia. Initially developed from clinical observations of a deficit in emotion processing and regulation, alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in verbalizing emotions. The idea that alexithymic individuals might be attracted to the high-risk domain was further supported by two studies conducted with skydivers. Building on the work of Castanier and colleagues, researchers have also found alexithymia to be a predictor of risk-taking within the high-risk sport domain. A transfer of emotion regulation benefits from the high-stress domain back into everyday life is a feature of the high-risk sport literature, such that individuals enjoy reductions in anxiety and a greater ability to deal with close relationships in everyday life.
