i wonder...

i read that stress can lead to a bout of apathy. apathy pretty much means "indifference" or a lack of emotion.

now say there are these 2 ppl who are very close to each other. we'll call them Persons A & B. Person A experiences a string of emotional distress caused from personal problems. Person A proceeds to tell Person B about said problems. Person B is receptive during entire conversation. Person A is a little more agitated, of course, and Person B keeps cool and logical. conversation ends. night eventually turns to day. Person A wakes up to check myspace account and notices Person B's mood had changed to "apathetic". Person B's mood hadn't changed for months.

now, from what i read, apathy can be the mind's defense mechanism for coping with stress or situations they have no control over. if they are overly worried it can lead to a feeling of helplessness thus morphing into apathy.

i've also read examples where it means the person is simply unconcerned and/or disinterested. how is this when the ppl are very close?

i'm wondering whether or not extreme sympathy or empathy can eventually turn into apathy because they feel so helpless.

what do u think?

I don't give a fuck myself

Posted by lolwuttarcoptar
I think you don't tell people their problems.

You tell people solutions.

That is what makes an inteligent person from not. You didn't act logically or cool, you acted ignorant and contributed to nothing.

Okay Domino...... seriously? Give me a break. Sometimes people just need someone to listen to them and not offer a solution. Not everyone can solve someone else's problems. That doesn't make you ignorant. I, for one am a fiercely independant person and when I tell someone close to me what is going on in my life and affecting my mood, I am merely telling them because they are important to me and I want them to understand what I am feeling and why. I'm not asking for a solution, nor do I expect them to solve it for me. I just need to know that I can lean on you for support and understanding when I'm going through a stressful situation.

So, on topic to OP:

Posted by ninjamu
i've also read examples where it means the person is simply unconcerned and/or disinterested. how is this when the ppl are very close?

i'm wondering whether or not extreme sympathy or empathy can eventually turn into apathy because they feel so helpless.

what do u think?

click to expand

Yes, I believe this can happen. Stressful situations can be quite overwhelming and when you are close to someone and feel helpless, you certainly can become apathetic. If you feel as if you cannot offer a solution to the person's problem, you may feel as if pushing it to the back of your mind might be the ONLY solution, which could be interpreted as disinterest or indifference to the situation at hand. I have experienced this many times, myself.

Posted by FeistyAquarian
Well what Domino said is a guy thing. They like solutions. Guys don't normally just vent to other guys, they try to figure things out. Have you ever tried tried to talk to a guy about your problems? He just tries to "fix" it. My Aries is finally starting to understand that sometimes I just need to vent and have someone listen to me, and he is also learning how to vent to me better. It's crazy how differently men and women's brain work!

Absolutely!!! All men try to fix it.... that is totally a guy thing and I tell my boyfriend that I don't want him to fix it, I just want him to listen and be there for me. He understands that and does that for me. I used to tell my ex-husband the same thing.

My issue with Domino's comment wasn't that he thinks you "should" offer a solution. I found his comment to be extremely close minded and ridiculous because he stated that by telling people your problems rather than offering solutions you are acting in an illogical manner and from ingorance which makes you an unintelligent person.

Personally, IMO the act of listening to someone's problems that you care about is a sign of respect and devotion. I would consider that person a true friend or confidante.

heh, i think it's funny how one of these ppl became "me". i figured it might go that route but whatever...

er, yeah dom, i suggest u heed these ladies' advice. that is how we females often work. if u expect to have, and keep a gf, then u should know now that she will most likely come to u just to vent. more often than not we don't want u to fix our problems. we just need to get it out because we're more emotional. women are prone to talking. therefore we talk things out. sometimes just hearing the words said aloud is enough to come to solutions.

btw, guys DO vent to other guys. they may approach it with less of an emotional outburst but they do talk to other men about their problems. i witness it all the time (remember, i hang out with pretty much 90% males!).

i appreciate the feedback from everyone... even james! it's funny, james, when i was browsing around online and observed other ppl's responses, someone always piped up with that. especially when it was someone asking for the difference between empathy and apathy.

tsk tsk, yoda! a master are u. masters of the force fakes compassion not.

Oh, okay Dom. 🙂

they birds are right thay have it together.

ooo! lookitchoo bella! adorable! i love dark hair with that pale skinned-flushed look. i had to enlarge ur photo for a sec cuz i thought u were wearing a pair of panties on ur head! ur... not... right? >_>

Posted by Jason2213
Oh wait. ***Its not panties?! What is it?

i believe it's one of those head scarf thingies.