apathy
Sign in to saveApathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and/or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, and/or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, virtual, or physical life and the world. Apathy can also be defined as a person's lack of goal orientation. Apathy falls in the less extreme spectrum of diminished motivation, with abulia in the middle and akinetic mutism being more extreme than both
AI overview
Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and concern about things—a state where someone experiences suppressed or absent motivation, excitement, and passion across emotional, social, spiritual, or physical aspects of life. It matters because it represents a significant diminishment in how people engage with goals and the world around them, ranging from mild indifference to more severe forms of motivational loss.
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Article
20 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History and other views
- Social origin
- In the school system
- Bystander
- Measurement
- Apathy Evaluation Scale
- Apathy Motivation Index
- Dimensional Apathy Scale
- Medical aspects
- Depression
- Alzheimer's disease
- Parkinson's disease
- Frontotemporal dementia
- Anxiety
- Other
- See also
- References
- Sources
- External links
Apathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, and/or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, and/or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical, virtual, or physical life and the world. Apathy can also be defined as a person's lack of goal orientation. Apathy falls in the less extreme spectrum of diminished motivation, with abulia in the middle and akinetic mutism being more extreme than both apathy and abulia.
The apathetic may lack a sense of purpose, worth, or meaning in their life. People with severe apathy tend to have a lower quality of life and are at a higher risk for mortality and early institutionalization. They may also exhibit insensibility or sluggishness. In positive psychology, apathy is described as a result of the individuals' feeling they do not possess the level of skill required to confront a challenge (i.e. "flow"). It may also be a result of perceiving no challenge at all (e.g., the challenge is irrelevant to them, or conversely, they have learned helplessness). Apathy is usually felt only in the short term, but sometimes it becomes a long-term or even lifelong state, often leading to deeper social and psychological issues.