People with ataraxia are defined by always maintaining a calm, collected, and unperturbed frame of mind. Behind that emotional chill and total absence of fear, however, may be a neurological change.
Ataraxia takes us back to ancient Greece and the Stoics: getting nothing that touches you, remaining unperturbed in times of adversity. That state of mind with which we rid ourselves of fears, take away fears, and escape frustration and anger, no doubt seems like an idyllic state of mind. Who wouldn’t love to go through life’s journey and thus embrace heightened psychological serenity?
The truth is, while we like it, this reality would have little health or even logic. The intrepid Juan of the Brothers Grimm spent much of his life trying to get to know that emotion that after all so characterizes man. We must not forget that excluding an emotion – whatever it may be – from the emotional register can have serious consequences.
That is why, far from being an inspirational concept, ataraxia would actually define a condition. In addition, in certain cases we may experience a neurological change. Dimensions such as fear, restlessness, or restlessness, while bothersome and disturbing, fulfill their indisputable purpose in our survival.
Ataraxia: Definition and Symptoms
Greek philosophy defined ataraxia as imperturbability. For figures such as Democritus or Heraclitus, this willingness to reduce the tendency to passion and to display a serene, rested behavior insensitive to emotions and instincts, synonymous with elevation, with nobility of mind.
This view of behavior and attitude was developed by the Epicureans, the Stoics and the skeptics. Studies such as those conducted by Dr. James Warren of the University of Cambridge thus indicates that the Epicureans considered ataraxia to be synonymous with mental well-being by “tearing” our fears out of the mind.
Viewed in this way, more than one may consider it encouraging and correct. Who wouldn’t love to live in a permanent state of imperturbability? Living in a psychological atmosphere where the bullying at work did not affect us or where our partner’s betrayal did not cause us pain would be desirable at first sight.
The truth is, if we reacted in this way to life’s adversities, we wouldn’t be human. We would be machines. The inability to respond to environmental events or the absence of fear would, in many cases, define a neurological disorder.
How is a person with ataraxia?
Ataraxia does not appear as such in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). However, it can be a symptom of, as we have noted, a neurological problem. There are changes in different brain regions related to this reality and its symptoms.
We analyze what the symptoms of ataraxia are:
Passive behavior. Inability to respond to environmental stimuli.
The person with medical ataraxia does not show changes in their mood. They are always in a state of affective flattening in which they show no ups or downs, nor joys, nor fears, nor illusory behaviors or expressions of concern …
They don’t show frustration. That is, facts such as making mistakes or not being able to achieve their goals, for example, they live it calmly and almost indifferently.
They don’t feel guilty. They don’t feel any responsibility for their actions.
Likewise, it is common for them not to respect the limits, to not see the risks to their behavior, and to have a tendency to risk behavior.
Illuminated almond in a man’s brain that represents the origin of ataraxia
The origin of ataraxia
Clinical or medical ataraxia is the extremes of philosophical ataraxia. That is to say, one can maintain a calm and calm character before the future of life. However, as a human being, you are expected – and recommended – to experience joy, a sense of guilt, fear, pain, the exuberance of love, and even the unease of sadness from time to time.
All of this allows us to adapt to life’s unforeseen events, providing us with valuable learning resources. Now someone with clinical ataraxia shows clearly inappropriate passivity. This condition defines people who are unable to respond to their environment, be it social, work or emotional.
Now what could be the source of this problem?
The neurological origin of imperturbability
There are several triggers that would explain ataraxia. The most common are traumatic strokes in the frontal region of the brain, as well as strokes.
It’s also important to talk about a different origin. For example, we know that Urbach-Wiethe disease has as its main manifestation the total absence of fear.
This condition develops as a result of a lesion or atrophy of the amygdala in the brain. As we well know, this area is the area that regulates part of our emotions, with fear and feeling of alertness being the most common. In this way, when we have a danger in front of us, it is the amygdala that immediately sends the information to the cerebral cortex.
Later, this area will apply a cognitive filter to objectively assess the true risk. However, the person with ataraxia will not be able to perform any of these processes. So it is very likely that the intrepid Juan of the Brothers Grimm actually underwent a change in his brain amygdala …
Source: lamenteesmaravillosa.com