APATHY What is Apathy Absence or suppression of

APATHY

What is Apathy ■ Absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement; lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting ■ Comes from Greek Stoics – Desire to control emotion through mastery of logic – Logic=Good; Emotion=Bad – Caring was seen as an emotional reaction to a situation and therefore considered to be a negative trait – Apathy considered a goal for stoics

Areas of apathy ■ Psychology – Helps deal with stimuli that is too difficult to take in – coping mechanism – Too much apathy considered a disorder associated with depression and PTSD ■ ■ Lack of motivation or will to do anything Harmful to self/self care ■ Social – Lack of interest in social events or gatherings – Often affects work place morale ■ Social Psychology – Bystander effect – people in groups tend to not help individuals in need – Lack of involvement is more likely as number of bystanders increase – Bystanders aren’t necessarily apathetic but often feel as though someone else will intervene – comes off/appears apathetic and has the same effect

■ Academic – Students often experience apathy towards school – Lack of intrinsic motivation/interest in subject or learning – May only be motivated by grades or just “getting by” ■ Political – Indifference to political issues – Can come from lack of trust of politicians – Contributes to low voter turn out – Can lead to stagnation in government – Can aid government corruption – Doesn’t hold politicians or government accountable

Effects of Apathy ■ Lack of awareness – Events, politics, issues, skills/education ■ Lack of action – Voting, change (social, personal, societal, moral) ■ Psychological – Cope with stress, function everyday, depression