Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

Twenty statements about recognizing, describing, and reflecting on emotions.

What TAS-20 measures

TAS-20 is a self-report measure with three dimensions: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking. Alexithymia means difficulty processing and communicating emotions; it is not the absence of emotions.

How scoring works

Each response scores 1–5. Five positively worded items are scored in the opposite direction behind the scenes. All 20 values form the total; dimension scores are shown to make the result more informative.

Method and sources

The two original 1994 studies document item selection, factor structure, and validity; the meta-analysis examines the three-factor structure across samples.

Original publication
The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale—I. Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure
R. Michael Bagby, James D. A. Parker, Graeme J. Taylor
1994
Validation study
The twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale—II. Convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity
R. Michael Bagby, Graeme J. Taylor, James D. A. Parker
1994
Scientific review
The structure of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20): A meta-analytic confirmatory factor analysis
David A. Preece, et al.
2020

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Questions about TAS-20

Is alexithymia a mental disorder?

Not by itself. It is a dimensional trait or pattern that can occur with many different life experiences and conditions.

Does a high score mean I do not feel emotions?

No. A person may feel emotions strongly while finding them hard to distinguish, name, or communicate.

Why do some statements sound positive?

They reduce one-sided response patterns and are scored in the opposite direction. The interface does not mark them as reverse-scored because scoring metadata should not guide answers.