Apathy

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For other uses, see Apathy (disambiguation).

Emotions
Basic
Anger Disgust Fear Happiness Sadness Surprise
Others
Acceptance Affection Ambivalence Annoyance Apathy Anxiety Awe Boredom Compassion Confusion Contempt Curiosity Depression Desire Disappointment Doubt Ecstasy Empathy Envy Embarrassment Euphoria Frustration Gratitude Grief Guilt Hatred Hope Horror Hostility Hunger Hate Hysteria Interest Jealousy Loneliness Lust Paranoia Pity Pleasure Pride Rage Regret Remorse Revenge Shame Wonder v • d • e

Apathy=uncaring — where an individual has an absence of interest or concern to certain aspects of emotional, social, or physical life.

Apathy can be object-specific — toward a person, activity or environment. It is a common reaction to stress where it manifests as "learned helplessness" and is commonly associated with depression.

[edit] History

Apathy is a common feeling of complete discontent (dissatisfaction, i.e. not satisfied) for one's emotional behavior.

Apathy etymologically derives from the Greek απάθεια (apatheia), a term used by the Stoics to signify indifference for what one is not responsible for (that is, according to their philosophy, all things exterior, one being only responsible of his representations and judgments). The concept was then reappropriated by Christians, who adopted the term to express a contempt of all earthly concerns, a state of mortification, as the gospel prescribes. Thus, the word has been used since then among more devout writers. Clemens Alexandrinus, in particular, brought the term exceedingly in vogue, thinking hereby to draw the philosophers to Christianity, who aspired after such a sublime pitch of virtue. ^[1]

The concept of apathy became more sympathetically accepted in popular culture during the First World War, in which the appalling conditions of the Western Front led to apathy^{[citation needed]} and shellshock amongst millions of soldiers. Many often had no emotion or thought process concerning killing/death in general.