Lack of emotion word

Apathetic Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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British

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[ ap-uh-thet-ik ]

/ ˌæp əˈθɛt ɪk /

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See synonyms for apathetic on Thesaurus.com

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adjective

having or showing little or no emotion: apathetic behavior.

not interested or concerned; indifferent or unresponsive: an apathetic audience.

OTHER WORDS FOR apathetic

1 unfeeling, impassive, cool.

2 uninterested, unconcerned.

See synonyms for apathetic on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR apathetic

1 emotional.

2 concerned.

See antonyms for apathetic on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Also ap·a·thet·i·cal .

Origin of apathetic

First recorded in 1735–45; apath(y) + (path)etic

OTHER WORDS FROM apathetic

ap·a·thet·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby apathetic

apartmentize, Passage to India, A, apast, apastron, apatetic, apathetic, apathy, apatite, apatosaurus, APB, APC

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT APATHETIC

What does

apathetic mean?

Apathetic means uncaring.

It’s an adjective form of apathy—the state of not caring. It can also mean the absence or suppression of emotion or passion.

Apathetic is especially used to describe people with a lack of interest or concern about things, especially those that others find important or exciting.

Apathetic often means about the same thing as indifferent, but it’s more often used in the context of someone’s lack of action when action is needed.

The word apathetic is typically used in a negative way to criticize someone as being irresponsible or insensitive. When someone is accused of being apathetic, it usually means the person making the accusation thinks the apathetic person should care more—or at all.

Example: Your generation is astoundingly apathetic—it’s like none of you care about any of the big problems in the world!

Where does

apathetic come from?

The first records of the word apathetic come from around 1740. Its base word, apathy, comes from the Greek apathḗs, meaning “unfeeling,” from a-, “a lack of,” and pathos, “feeling.” The same root forms the basis of words such as empathy and sympathy, and apathetic is made into an adjective in the same way as empathetic, sympathetic, and pathetic.

Describing someone as apathetic doesn’t necessarily mean they feel nothing. But it’s most commonly used to describe someone who doesn’t care enough to do something, especially in a situation that calls for action. In this way, people considered apathetic are often to have an intentionally indifferent attitude that they’ve adopted in order to avoid dealing with problems, taking on challenges, or getting involved with difficult situations.

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How is

apathetic used in real life?

The word apathetic is usually used in a way that’s critical of the people it’s used to describe—even when people apply it to themselves.

being too passionate, being entirely apathetic – I'm just praying for a balance, a happy median, a sweet spot

— Cyn (@cynthialovely) June 6, 2017

I suspect that's how it starts. Someone does wrong, feels bad about it, doesn't make changes to fix the situation, then grows tired of feeling bad. They become apathetic toward their own feelings of wrong. And one day, they just smother the spark and go "So what?"

— an arch on (@anarchonbury) September 3, 2020

#WritingCommunity, do y’all go thru periods where you’re just completely apathetic about writing? I haven’t been able to get anything significant done on either WIP in like 2 wks. All I feel like doing is reading scripts and watching shows, am I a lazy lump or is this normal?

— Taylor Coriell (@frecklysoprano1) August 31, 2020

Try using

apathetic!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of apathetic?

A. indifferent
B. involved
C. unconcerned
D. detached

Words related to apathetic

callous, indifferent, laid-back, passive, stoic, uninterested, blah, cold, cool, could care less, couldn't care less, draggy, emotionless, flat, impassive, insensible, languid, moony, stolid, unconcerned

How to use apathetic in a sentence

Both were victims because they were too apathetic to find a better place to leave their equipment.
How to Not Get Your Gear Stolen|agintzler|July 15, 2021|Outside Online
So often, lately, movie creatives seem not only apathetic about trying to capture it, but ignorant that such an it factor even existed in the first place.
The Dazzling ‘In the Heights’ May Be the Best Movie Musical in Decades|Kevin Fallon|June 11, 2021|The Daily Beast
Nobody leaves feeling apathetic about Ashley, the mark of a well-written character.
Every ‘Mass Effect’ squadmate, ranked from a storytelling perspective|Jhaan Elker|June 4, 2021|Washington Post
As automation continues to entrench itself in every aspect of search marketing, it may be easy to become apathetic towards it or even resent how these developments change our workflows.
Automation isn’t about what machines can do for you, it’s about what you can do together|George Nguyen|April 15, 2021|Search Engine Land

This would empower individuals to make thoughtful and informed decisions about their data privacy, versus the rushed and apathetic experience that accept cookies banners create.
Those ‘accept cookies’ banners on websites undermine your privacy—but they can be fixed|jakemeth|October 27, 2020|Fortune
He began his education at Franklin & Marshall, but was academically apathetic.
The Bioethicist Turned Butcher|Elizabeth Picciuto|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The song was awkward for Marxist critics because of its apathetic character,” the scholar Franz Mennemeier noted.
Brecht's Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75|Katie Baker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pitre is right, combat is about screw-ups, bad officers, apathetic contractors, regret, unfairness, and impossible missions.
'Fives and Twenty-Fives' Is Fiction Honed in a Combat Zone|Brian Castner|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to a Pew Poll in December, Americans are more apathetic about any kind of military intervention than ever before.
If It Isn’t Our Problem, Don’t Solve It, Say Americans|Joe Concha|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Traditionally worn by sixth-graders and jocks and those who lounge aggressively, the draw-stringed trouser is defiantly apathetic.
NBA Players Are Wearing Sweatpants Again, but Now They Cost $550|Sujay Kumar|November 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He tried to console her, to amuse her, but what distraction could be found to appeal to that monstrously apathetic nature?
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
At the sound of the word divorce the apathetic old draper seemed to wake up.
At the Sign of the Cat and Racket|Honore de Balzac
How could the apathetic be awakened, the discouraged stimulated, the overworked rested and cheered?
The Leaven in a Great City|Lillian William Betts
But the mean, where it dwelt chiefly, was an apathetic fascination, partly of horror; as of Europa in mid ocean with her bull.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson
But the other men were less apathetic, and had followed the brave man to the door.
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for apathetic

apathetic

/ (ˌæpəˈθɛtɪk) /

adjective

having or showing little or no emotion; indifferent

Derived forms of apathetic

apathetically, adverb

Word Origin for apathetic

C18: from apathy + pathetic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

50 Synonyms & Antonyms of EMOTIONLESSNESS

emotionlessness

as in impassivity

a lack of emotion or emotional expressiveness her seeming emotionlessness at her husband's funeral masked a grief that was beyond words

impassivity
impassiveness
numbness
coldness
affectlessness
apathy
bloodlessness
phlegm
emptiness
insensibility
heartlessness
imperturbability
detachment
indifference
callousness
blankness
halfheartedness
deadness
obduracy
woodenness
hardness
coolness
callosity
insensitivity
aloofness
hard-heartedness
unconcern
stiffness
vacancy

emotion
empathy
sympathy
feeling
sensibility
compassion
pity
sensitivity
warmth
understanding
receptivity
tenderness
melodrama
responsiveness
solicitude
receptiveness
hysteria
hysterics
histrionics
vehemence
hand-wringing

emotion
empathy
sympathy
feeling
sensibility
compassion
pity
sensitivity
warmth
understanding
receptivity
tenderness
melodrama
responsiveness
solicitude
receptiveness
hysteria
hysterics
histrionics
vehemence
hand-wringing

Thesaurus Entries Near

emotionlessness

emotionless

emotionlessness

emotions

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“Emotionlessness. ” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emotionlessness. Accessed 10 Apr. 2023.

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"NO WORDS FOR FEELINGS" - ALEXITHYMIA. • EVO Medical Center

What kind of animal is this? And does it need to be treated?

Describing disorders of the psycho-emotional sphere, specialists are faced with such a manifestation as alexithymia and this term, literally translated from Greek as “without words for feelings”, is increasingly manifested in specialized literature. What is this state?

Maurice Corcos, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, believes this is the big problem of our time: “Our society sacrifices emotion to stereotyped symbols. A smile is enough for us to describe our condition. Emotions have become two-dimensional” … “They can no longer understand and express their emotions in words. They have difficulty distinguishing anger from sadness or fear. They are not able to express what is in their hearts and what gnaws at them. Psychologists call this alexithymia. And every sixth of us suffers from it.

Alexithymia is the inability to express the experienced emotional state in words, that is, in fact, the inability to put feelings into words. This condition is not a mental illness, but a feature of the functioning of the nervous system (not included in the international classification of diseases). Alexithymia has nothing to do with intelligence (trust me, most alexithymics have a high IQ). According to the results of various studies, an average of 5-25% of the population of all countries demonstrate symptoms of alexithymia. This large discrepancy in data is due to the difference in assessment methods used and disagreements about how difficult it is for a person to express their emotions in order to accept this inability as alexithymia. Alexithymia is classified as a risk factor for the development of psychosomatic diseases.

How to recognize the problem? Diagnosis of the level of alexithymia.

This psychological state is associated with difficulties:

when describing and defining not only one's own emotions, but also the emotions of others;
when recognizing bodily sensations and emotions;
in the ability to fantasize, imagine;
when focusing on events, to the detriment of internal unrest;
think logically with a lack of emotional reactions.

All of these features may appear simultaneously or one of them may predominate.

The concept of alexithymia is of great importance in the prediction and prevention of psychosomatic diseases: today there are various methods of psychological diagnosis of alexithymia, the most famous among them is the test called the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, developed in 1985 in the USA by G. J. Taylor to determine the level of alexithymia. You can take the test online without leaving your home, agreeing or not (and to what extent) with the proposed statements. The resulting total score may be in the range of 26-130. If the person's personality is "alexithymic", then the result will be 74 points and higher. If the result is 62 points or less, then the person is “non-alexithymic”. Those who find themselves “in the middle” should be wary, because. they are in the risk group. It seems that we have found an interesting activity for you for the evening of J

What is the problem? forms of alexithymia.

There are primary and secondary forms. The primary (congenital) form is distinguished by the presence of an organic substrate. These are minor malformations, diseases suffered in infancy, the consequences of hypoxia during pregnancy, or birth injuries. This form of alexithymia is stable and practically untreatable.

The secondary form occurs in somatically healthy adults. It develops against the background of stress, strong nervous shocks and experiences, psychological trauma, neurological diseases. Many psychiatric diseases (autism, schizophrenia, etc.) are also accompanied by alexithymia.

How does the problem manifest itself? Symptoms of alexithymia.

There are many features and character traits that are inherent in people with alexithymia and its symptoms cover not only the emotional sphere, in particular:

Difficulty perceiving and expressing one's emotions. Alexithymic personalities feel and feel dozens of emotions that are inherent in all people, but they are not able to describe their feelings. Therefore, they usually have great difficulty in understanding emotions and in communicating with others, individuals with alexithymia are prone to loneliness. Such people do not have the ability to identify their own feelings, so they are cold to the emotions of others, as a result, they do not know compassion, empathy, they are alien to the feeling of pity or sympathy.
Limited imagination, inability to fantasize. Alexithymic personalities are not adapted to creative work. The need to invent or imagine something makes them hysterical.
The complete absence of dreams, and if they appear, then these are always dreams in which only ordinary and everyday events occur.
Utilitarian orientation, logical and well-structured thinking. Individuals suffering from alexithymia do not know how to dream, fantasize, they are fixated on specific, everyday and clearly defined problems. Alexithymia has made them distrustful of their intuition, rather even they completely deny its existence.
Against the background of a state of affect after a psychological trauma, alexithymia develops. In this state, a person may confuse emotional experiences with bodily sensations. Therefore, when asked about feelings, he describes bodily manifestations - uncomfortable, tight, painful, warm, good. As a result of mental trauma, a wall grows inside a person that protects him from emotions that can revive the memory of a painful event. “A person cannot draw a line between the external (an event) and the internal (his feelings). Talking about pain for him is like re-experiencing it. It's a defense mechanism that works automatically."

Alexithymia is characterized by "confusion" in sensations. Psychologist Olivier Luminet, author of a book on the subject, explains: “A person cannot clearly separate his feelings - say, anger from fear and joy from shame. When feelings are raging inside, he is not able to accurately determine his condition, and this worries him. One of the reasons is education. “In some families, talking about feelings is not accepted or even considered bad form,” explains psychotherapist Catherine Aimelet-Périssol.

The most common person with alexithymia is:

I don't know how I feel!
I don't like how I feel!
I don't know what to think about my feelings!
What to do about the problem? Treatment of alexithymia.

Primary alexithymia has questionable cures. What can not be said about the treatment of secondary alexithymia, which is very justified and gives a positive result (although the course of treatment can be long).

The main method of treatment for this condition is psychotherapy and its various methods aimed at helping a person to understand and then pronounce their emotions. That is, the correction of alexithymia involves focusing on the patient's awareness of his own emotions and the ability to express them (Gelstat therapy, hypnosis, and other methods are effective). Art therapy - promotes the development of imagination, which allows you to expand the range of emotions in people suffering from alexithymia. According to most experts, the most successful is a comprehensive approach to the treatment of patients with alexithymia, including the correction of concomitant depression, increased anxiety, psycho-emotional stress, etc. in most cases.

Read more about whether you can spoil your child on the EVO Medical Center website.

Using megamedportal and psychologies materials

What is it like to live without emotions?

David Robson
BBC Future

2 September 2015

The author of the photo, Getty

There are people in the world who do not know joy, sadness, love... Sometimes this is due to a violation of brain activity, called "alexithymia" in modern science. Correspondent BBC Future tried to find out what difficulties those who live with such a disorder have and what benefits it brings.

Caleb tells me about the birth of his son, who is now eight months old.

"Have you heard how parents talk about the feelings of love and joy that came over them at the sight of their newborn baby?" he asks.

"Well," my interlocutor continues after a dramatic pause, "I didn't feel anything like that. "

His own wedding didn't touch him much either. Trying to explain his then state, he gives a metaphor for a Broadway show: the audience is sitting in the hall; she is emotionally involved in the theatrical action; and behind the scenes, in the meantime, stage workers are on duty, who, remaining indifferent to the performance on a sensual level, participate only in its technical implementation.

(Other BBC Future articles in Russian)

At his own wedding ceremony, Caleb, unlike most of the participants in this exciting event, did not experience a surge of feelings.

"I played my role purely mechanically," says Caleb (he asked not to be named).

Even as his bride walked down the aisle, the only thing he felt was blood rushing to his cheeks and heaviness in his legs; in his heart he felt no joy, no happiness, no love...

Caleb confesses to me that he never experiences emotions at all, neither positive nor negative.

We met on an Internet forum for people with the so-called alexithymia - a kind of emotional color blindness that deprives a person of the ability to distinguish and express various sensory-emotional nuances.

Image copyright, Getty

Image caption,

An unemotional person may find the behavior of other emotional people inappropriate

About half of those who suffer from this disorder are autistic. However, Caleb and many other "Alexas" do not exhibit any other autistic traits other than being emotionless, such as compulsive (compulsive) behavior, for example.

What does it mean to "fall in love" for someone who is basically incapable of feeling love or even sympathy for another?

A deep study of "emotional color blindness" can shed light on a number of comorbidities such as anorexia, schizophrenia, irritable bowel syndrome.

The stories told on the forum by members of the Alex community make us rethink the emotional experiences that we all seem to know so well.

Take, for example, falling in love. How can a person fall in love who does not even know such basic feelings as tenderness and sympathy? After all, it is they who ignite the spark of love in us...

Multi-layered emotional and sensory sphere

You can understand what "emotional dumbness" means by a good example of a nesting doll, a multi-layered toy consisting of several dolls nested in it, each next one is more intricate than the previous one.

At the heart of the emotional and sensory sphere of a person are bodily sensations - for example, when we see a beloved, we feel how our heart jumps; and when we are angry, we often experience stomach cramps.

Our brain assigns a certain value to each of these sensations - then you know whether it is positive or negative, strong or weak.

This is how amorphous sensations take shape, and a certain conscious image appears in the emotion.

Emotions can have many nuances and sometimes combine experiences of different colors (for example, light sadness).

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Sooner or later we find suitable words to describe our emotional states - we are able to verbally describe our state of despair or joy, for example, and we can also explain what brought us to this or that emotional state .

In 1972, when alexithymia was first scientifically described, it was assumed that the problem occurs precisely at this last, linguistic stage; it was assumed that people suffering from alexithymia at a deep level feel like everyone else and that they are unable to only describe their emotional state in words.

Scientists have suggested that this may be due to a disruption in normal communication between the two hemispheres of the brain, which prevents the transmission of signals from the emotional centers, located mainly in the right hemisphere, to the left hemisphere centers responsible for speech.

We need this kind of transmission in order to verbalize what we feel, explains Katharina Görlich-Dobre of the RWTH Aachen University in northern Germany.

One could see this when doctors first tried to treat epilepsy by removing the connecting two lobes of the fiber; such surgery reduced the number of epileptic seizures, but the patients who underwent the operation became "emotionally mute."

Another important, if less sensational, discovery made by Görlich-Dobre herself through tomography is that people with alexithymia have abnormally dense neural connections.

image copyrightSPL

Image caption,

When the fibers connecting the two hemispheres are surgically removed, patients become emotionally mute and unable to express their feelings. connection with emotional zones, respectively, is broken.

Today, scientists already know that there are many different types of alexithymia.

Some "Alexas" have difficulty expressing their emotions and feelings, while others (like Caleb) are not even aware of them.

Richard Lane of Arizona State University offers as an analogy the phenomenon of visual loss in people who have sustained an injury to the visual cortex; the eyes themselves were not affected; nevertheless, the ability to distinguish visual images is lost.

In a similar way, a damaged neural circuit involved in the processing of emotional signals can prevent feelings of sadness, joy, or anger from reaching consciousness (to continue the metaphor of a multi-layered doll, the problem arises at the level of the second "doll": the body reacts normally, but the integration of sensations is not occurs, and, accordingly, an emotional thought cannot be formed).

"It's possible that an emotion is activated and the body responds to it, but the person is simply not aware of their emotions," says Lane.

Recent studies using magnetic resonance imaging (tomography) have shown signs of a more basic perceptual problem in some types of alexithymia.

Görlich-Dobre, for example, found a lack of gray matter in the centers of the cingulate cortex responsible for self-awareness, and suggested that this blocks the conscious representation of emotions.

And her colleague André Aleman of the University Center for Medical Research in Groningen, The Netherlands, found deficits in attention-related areas of the brain when alexithymic people look at emotionally charged pictures. He had the impression that their brain simply refused to register emotions.

"It seems to me that this is quite consistent with Lane's theory," says Aleman (initially, he believed that the reasons for this phenomenon are different). "We are forced to admit them (Lane and his colleagues - approx. correctness".

This is how Caleb himself describes his gap in consciousness, which prevents the normal transmission of emotional signals to the left lobe of the brain.

In the end, the man in charge lost his patience and attacked him with reproaches

Image copyright, SPL

Image caption,

Contrary to the stereotype, not all autistic people suffer from emotional or social problems

"My body reacted in a strange way," recalls Caleb. vision. And then I completely forgot about this situation."

It seems that no event can shake such firm indifference. “The richer the emotion, the brighter, in theory, it should color my thinking,” says Caleb. “But in fact, my thinking is clearer and more prone to analysis.”

There is one slight advantage: Caleb is more comfortable with medical procedures - simply because he does not associate any negative emotions with such an experience and does not feel fear or anxiety.

"I endure all sorts of unpleasant moments calmly, because I know that there are no [negative] emotional associations in my memory," my interlocutor admits. "But this means that positive memories are also washed out of my memory."

Short circuit in the brain

However, this compensation is insignificant - alexithymia is apparently associated with various other diseases, including schizophrenia and eating disorders. Because, probably, it is thanks to emotions that we usually begin to take better care of our physical and mental health.

A more precise definition of alexithymia would help to better understand the nature of comorbid disorders, as well as to learn more about the differences between different types of autism.

Jeffrey Bird from King's College London notes that, contrary to stereotypes, half of autistic people are quite capable of perceiving other people on an emotional plane and of adequate emotional reactions, and those who have difficulty with socialization usually suffer from alexithymia.

Therefore, he believes that the distinction between these two types of disorders will lead to more adequate care and treatment.

In the meantime, remaining misunderstandings in this area often prevent autistic people from getting the help they really need.

"I worked with an autistic woman who wanted to be a nursing assistant," says Bird. no problem with emotions."

Further work in this direction could also shed light on the puzzling association with somatic diseases such as chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome, which are unusually common in patients with alexithymia.

Lane suggests that the reason is a kind of "short circuit" in the brain, which is a consequence of "emotional color blindness". According to him, conscious perception of emotions helps to dampen the physical sensations associated with a particular emotion.

Image copyright, Getty

Image caption,

Trying to connect with their emotions, "Alexas" often walk their lives alone brain, then mechanisms are activated that modulate the processes in the body from top to bottom, "says Lane. However, without an emotional outlet, the mind can get stuck in physical sensations, leading to increased reactions.

According to Görlich-Dobre, "they (the "Alexas") are hypersensitive to sensations in the body and cannot focus on anything else, which may be one of the reasons for the chronic pain they experience."

Some studies have indeed shown that "Alexas" are unusually sensitive to sensations in the body, although the results of other experiments refute these conclusions.

Descriptions of physical sensations often dominate Caleb's stories about difficult moments in his life, such as leaving his family.

"In general, I don't miss people, it seems to me. If I go away and don't see someone for a long time, my life goes according to the principle "Out of sight, out of mind," he admits. I don’t have my wife and child around, then I physically feel pressure or stress.”

Reconnecting with Lost Feelings

It is hoped that doctors will eventually identify the causes of alexithymia and help their patients avoid the "snowball" effect of it on the body.

Caleb believes that his condition was born at birth and could be caused by genetic factors. Features of upbringing and emotional responsiveness of parents can also play a role here.

But there are people who become "alexes" as a result of psychological trauma that impairs their ability to process some or even all of their emotions.

Lane introduced me to one of his patients, Patrick Dust, who was abused as a child by an alcoholic father, so that at one point his life was even threatened.

"One evening, when he returned home, he and his mother had another fight. And then he said, 'I'm going to go get my gun now and shoot you all.' We ran to the neighbors and called the police from their house."

Several decades have passed since then, and all this time it has been difficult for him to understand and interpret his emotions, especially the fear and anger that he still feels towards his parents.

Dust suspects that he developed fibromyalgia - diffuse musculoskeletal chronic pain and weakness throughout the body - as well as an eating disorder as a result.

First under Lane's guidance, and later on his own, Dust remembered his old experiences and reconnected with emotions that he had always tried to hide deeper. As a result, his fibrogic pains were relieved.

"I discovered a huge anger that I felt without realizing it," explains Patrick. "It's the most important thing I've done in my life." He had just finished work on a book in which he described this process. To better socialize, Caleb also saw a cognitive behavioral therapist, and now, through conscious decision, he can better analyze his own physical sensations and relate them to other people's emotions.

While this process remains largely an exploratory exercise, it allows Caleb to be aware of his wife's feelings and understand why she does what she does.

Photo copyright, Getty

Photo caption,

By making a conscious decision to love, "Alexas" can bring stability to a relationship

However, not every alexithymia patient has such determination and perseverance. And not everyone manages to find a life partner who would be ready to accept the assumptions associated with this disease.

"It takes a lot of understanding from my wife... She realizes that I understand love and other things a little differently," says Caleb.

On the other hand, he is emotionally stable and not subject to mood swings. "The compensation is that my relationship with my wife is a conscious choice for me," Caleb explains.

He does not act on a whim, but on the basis of a conscious intention to love and care for her. This has been especially important in the last eight months.

"If we are going through some difficult situation - for example, a child does not sleep all night and cries - this will not affect my attitude in any way, because my connection is not based on emotions."

Caleb was not euphoric about his wedding or the birth of a child, but he spent most of his life looking inward, trying to feel and understand the feelings that he and those around him experience.

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