What is indifference and how does it affect modern society -

Each of us could observe indifference to the grief of others Yes, negative words and actions can cause discomfort or even harm, they can irritate and enrage, but when there is no response at all, such an attitude should be alarming. Nobody wants to deal with aggressive people, but it's hard to deny: they are alive, they have emotions. As a rule, people’s problems can be solved, and if you try, you can find a way out of any situation. But how to react to a person whose gaze expresses nothing, who experiences neither pain nor compassion? The answer is quite clear: indifferent people cause distrust - you cannot rely on them.

It would seem, what’s wrong with them? Gray personalities to which even the word “personality” is difficult to apply. Indifferent people are not empty, they are often stuffed with knowledge and can easily retell the plot of a book or movie, have hobbies - in a word, at first glance they look like everyone else... But try to talk to them. You will lose interest in what they are saying after the very first phrases, because they will be devoid of a simple human attitude. Such people seem to have a paralyzed soul. The natural question is: why do people become indifferent?

Scientific research into feelings of indifference

Scientific research on indifference has been carried out by both psychologists and philosophers. Fabry, Rubinstein, Spinoza studied indifference. Many agreed that indifference can be equated to apathy, emotional passivity, lack of interests and hobbies, and a decrease in overall activity.

In 1993, N. Fetiskin noted that students and schoolchildren experience boredom during many lectures and lessons.

In 1984, researcher I. Shurygina found bored students among music school students. And in 1989, A. Chebykin revealed the fact that students’ expectations from classes are not met, and instead of positive emotions, they are forced to be bored or afraid of the teacher.

“Emotional-motivational paralysis” - this is the definition of indifference given by the dictionary of Meshcheryakov and Zinchenko.

Indifference is primarily characterized by the absence of any feelings and emotions, both positive and negative. A person does not experience aggression or irritation; he is neither happy nor bored. Indifference often develops after experiencing stress. But many researchers have identified indifference as a symptom of mental or physical illness. Indifference can be provoked by hereditary factors, a nervous breakdown or overstrain, endocrine system problems, certain medications, bad habits and their consequences, and old age.

There are two types of indifference. In the first case, the person looks depressed and sad, he is not interested in the events taking place and the people around him.

What is ethics? What role does it play in a person’s life?

VARYA SH., 10 YEARS OLD. Don't know.
It is possible to live without ethics, but it is better to know it. It plays an important role in a person's life. You need to understand when you did something bad and what you did wrong in order to admit it, or feel it within yourself in order to understand that you were wrong. If you confessed and felt it, your soul will be cleansed. LEV V., 11 YEARS OLD. I missed this lesson and don’t remember. But, of course, I would like to remember. Otherwise, everyone knows what ethics is, but I don’t. This is probably wrong, right?

TEXTBOOK. Ethics is a science that examines actions and relationships between people from the point of view of ideas about good and evil. Ethics studies morality. The word “morality” originated in Ancient Rome and means “habits”, “customs”, “rules of behavior”. All together, this can be called the word “morals”, from which the word “morality” in Russian comes from.

Stages

An indifferent person does not immediately become like this. Before reaching complete indifference, he has to go through several stages:

1. Unwillingness to help animals, lack of pity for them.
2. Indifference to strangers, ignoring their troubles and troubles.
3. Reluctance to help people from a less intimate circle of acquaintances (work colleagues, neighbors, classmates).
4. Apathy towards friends, acquaintances, good acquaintances.
5. Indifference to family members.
6. Self-loathing, unwillingness to take care of oneself, to please oneself.
7. Complete indifference as a psychological defense and way of life.

How does indifference manifest itself?

Composure is expressed in relation to the surrounding world, the fate of people, and events. A person also has character traits such as selfishness and ruthlessness. It also happens that people are indifferent to themselves, their own lives. They are not capable of compassion and cannot help in basic situations. Let's consider an example of indifference: an old woman was walking along the road, accidentally slipped and fell. A cold-blooded person will pass by and not help the poor woman. Many will watch, only people who can empathize and sympathize will stop.

Why indifference is dangerous - an essay on literature

We have prepared for you several essays on the dangers of indifference with examples from literature. Use our material to write your own argument on this topic.

Option 1

Indifference is a negative trait in a person that makes us callous towards others and even close people. Indifference shows how cold-blooded we are towards other people's feelings and troubles, turning us into monsters. Why is indifference dangerous? I think the danger is that a person who is indifferent to others may be left alone; no one will help him at the right time. This person will be controlled by pride and selfishness, and people will not want to get close to such a person.

So, using the example of Bunin’s work “Mr. from San Francisco,” we see what indifference leads to. The author writes that all his life the hero thought only about money and how to provide for himself, thereby forgetting about the main thing in life - family. When the gentleman decided to spend time with his wife and daughter by going on a cruise, his family had already lost interest in him. And from the poet’s description we can conclude that during the journey they were like strangers and each minded his own business. But not only his relatives treated the hero with indifference, also other guests of the ship on which everyone was sailing to rest. When the gentleman died, they simply put him in a box so that no one would notice, without even showing pity. Thus, we can conclude that you cannot treat people with indifference, because they will treat you the same way, thereby the world will be left without good people.

You can also see indifference in Chekhov’s work “The Cherry Orchard”. The author writes about Ranevskaya’s estate, which was surrounded by a cherry orchard, but it must be sold for debts. The owner herself was indifferent to her house, which belonged to her family. After the house was bought, Ranevskaya calmly goes to another city to visit her lover, do not think about the family estate.

We can conclude that indifference is dangerous because people forget about family and their values ​​for their own benefit. Thus, our humanity’s responsiveness to our loved ones is destroyed.

Option 2

What is indifference? What negative consequences does it entail for a person? Famous writer A.P. Chekhov said that “indifference is paralysis of the soul.” It is difficult to disagree with him, because an indifferent person is not able to sympathize and experience compassion, empathize and rejoice at his neighbor. An indifferent person is not interested in the problems of society; he does not care about his surroundings.

Examples of indifference and its consequences are often found both in everyday life and in works of literature. So in the novel of the same name by A.S. Pushkin's main character - Eugene Onegin - shows indifference to the whole world, he does not see the meaning in anything. Eugene was brought up like any nobleman. Social life quickly made him indifferent. He was bored with idle and empty everyday life. Onegin realizes that he has become insensitive, he tries to change himself and leaves the capital for the village. But he quickly became tired of village life. In addition, because of his indifference, he rejects friendship with Larin and does not accept Tatyana’s love. The hero cannot show real emotions and feelings. Evgeny Onegin tries to build a close relationship with Olga, without thinking about how Lensky will feel. Onegin’s feelings awoke only after Lensky’s death during a duel, because it was Onegin who, due to his indifference, allowed this to happen. The dryness and selfishness that accompanied him for many years caused enormous damage. Onegin paid a high price for not being able to get rid of indifference in time.

What would happen to the world if every person in it was indifferent? What would happen to society? This is exactly the picture painted by F.M. Dostoevsky in his novel “Crime and Punishment”. One of the main heroines of the work, Sonya Marmeladova, feels the importance and necessity of self-sacrifice and responsiveness to others. She is “a ray of light in the dark kingdom” of a society mired in callousness. She tries to help everyone, including Rodion Raskolnikov. Sonya helps Rodion cope with terrible mental torment. If not for her, the novel could have ended tragically.

Indifference is a problem found in different eras. It leads to darkness and callousness of the soul. That is why you should help your neighbors, empathize and open your soul to the world.

Option 3

Indifference is a lack of interest and an indifferent attitude towards the environment. But can it be dangerous to humans? An indifferent person is dangerous both for himself and for society. Most often he is calm and indifferent, he is not interested in other people's problems. I believe that such a person can leave without help even a person who vitally needs the support of others. He sees only his own interest, he is indifferent to other people's fates. Pride and selfishness rule in his soul.

Fiction could not help but touch upon this problem. “Hero of Our Time” M.Yu. Lermontova demonstrates an indifferent person who ruins people's destinies without thinking about the destructiveness of his actions. In one of the chapters of the work, Pechorin comes to Pyatigorsk, where he meets Princess Mary, with whom his longtime acquaintance Grushnitsky is in love. And George decides to break off their relationship in a cruel way. Pechorin begins to court the girl, trying in every possible way to attract her attention. The princess becomes cold towards Grushnitsky, and after some time she confesses her love to Pechorin.

However, he doesn't need a girl. For him it was just a fun game; the man never had warm feelings for Mary. His indifference ruined the princess’s life, and, unfortunately, even after his deed, the hero did not see his guilt. I also remember the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard". Throughout Ravnevskaya’s life, she was driven by pride: the woman treated both servants and relatives with disdain. The heroine is also indifferent to the future of her relatives: she, having sold the estate, returns to her lover with the money intended for her daughter. She sees only her own interest in the current situation, and she is not at all bothered by the feelings of other people.

Thus, an indifferent person is dangerous for others, he is not worried about the fate of other people, he sees only his own benefit everywhere. Unfortunately, indifferent people can influence other people's lives, so you should be extremely careful not to fall victim to coldness and apathy.

Option 4

We often hear about the indifference of modern people to everything that happens in the world. Indifference is a feeling of indifference to what is happening, an unwillingness to react to it. Indifferent people do not care about global, other people’s, and sometimes even their own problems and destinies. But what can such a life position lead to? Why is indifference dangerous?

Let us turn to the work of M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time". The main character of the novel, Grigory Pechorin, can be called an indifferent person. He suffers from boredom and is only concerned with getting rid of it by any means necessary. One of the chapters of the novel, Princess Mary, tells about Pechorin’s time in Pyatigorsk, where he came for healing waters. There he meets the princess's young daughter, Mary. Having learned that his friend, Grushnitsky, is courting the girl, Pechorin decides to entertain himself in a very cruel way. He aims to make young Mary fall in love with him, upsetting her possible relationship with Grushnitsky. Gregory begins to court the girl and seduce her. He ensures that Mary becomes cold towards Grushnitsky and stops responding to his advances. After some time, the girl confesses her love to Pechorin, but he does not need her feelings at all, he does not love Mary. In the end, he admits to the girl that it was all just a game on his part and he never had feelings for her. We see that in pursuit of satisfying his own pride, Pechorin does not care at all about the feelings and fates of those around him. He easily plays with people, destroying their lives.

Another example is Kuprin’s “Fairy Tale”. The story follows a family who hears screams from the forest on a harsh winter night. Everyone in the house can hear the person calling for help perfectly well, but the mother says that it is none of their business. The father finds an excuse for himself in the form of a damaged gun, although he himself admits that he feels sorry for the man. The grandfather tells the family members to be glad that they are sitting at home safe, behind high fences and strong locks. The indifference and cowardice of this family could have cost someone their life that night.

Thus, indifference can be dangerous for others, because it is indifferent people who contribute to the triumph of evil through their inaction, allowing themselves or others to be cruel to others. That is why you need to remember how important it is not to remain indifferent, because who knows what could happen to you tomorrow.

Examples in different areas

Let's figure out what types of indifferent attitude are most often noted.

• Paired with

When in a relationship or marriage partners do not hear each other, do not respond to the desires and requests of their partner, are not interested in his dreams, stories, affairs, a crack appears, which over time turns into a huge hole. Then they say that the family boat crashed into everyday life. But that's not true. It is not everyday life that destroys relationships, but indifference and unwillingness to pacify one’s ego.

There is another side, when one of the partners fights against closed doors for a long time and tries to achieve the attention and love of his companion, without receiving anything in return. Gradually, pain and disappointment go away, replaced by indifference.

• In relationships with people

This is the case when passers-by calmly walk past a person lying on the ground. This is about how a child’s screams are heard behind the wall asking his mother not to hit him, and the neighbors turn up the volume of the TV. When netizens watch news about crimes being committed, but not a single muscle on their faces moves. Because no one cares about anyone.

• To animals

Sometimes I come across advertisements like “we’ll give a cat/dog to good hands due to a move.” Not everyone is looking for good hands in such a situation, not everyone is found, often the animal is simply euthanized or thrown away. Can you imagine how, due to a move, a family sends a grandmother or son out onto the street? Why is this possible with animals?

• Towards the environment

The consequences of an indifferent attitude towards nature are felt more and more acutely every year. Of course, an ordinary person cannot globally influence the cleanliness of the atmosphere or stop emissions at a local plant, but he is quite capable of not throwing garbage past the trash can, sorting plastic waste or handing over used batteries to collection points. How many people are doing this today?

• To the children

Parents' indifference seems harmless only at first glance. But the consequences of a lack of love can be very different - from similar coldness in the future towards one’s children to the inability to build harmonious relationships with people and pronounced aggression.

• To work

Very few people can boast of a profession that charges them with positive emotions every day and motivates them to strive even harder. In general, people go to jobs they don’t like, get bored or nervous while performing their duties, and count the minutes until the end of the next working day.

Not every employer dreams of having uninterested people on their staff, and therefore relations with such employees quickly deteriorate, which further increases the degree of their indifference to work.

• To life

Perhaps this is one of the most severe forms of indifference, which is expressed in apathy and a depressive outlook on life itself. A person is not happy with anything, nothing interests him, he has no goal and does not strive anywhere.

• To myself

It manifests itself in an irresponsible attitude towards one’s health, towards one’s desires, letting obvious symptoms of diseases take their course, etc.

• In politics

Indifference here is observed on both sides of the barricades: people do not participate in elections, believing that everything will be decided without them, and officials line their pockets, not caring about the hardships and needs of the people.

Who cares about morality in society? Do we need special “moral guards” in society?

NIKITA M., 11 YEARS OLD. I believe that people live as they want, and morality, in my opinion, is generally bullshit. No, morality in the sense that there is no need to steal, there is no need to kill - such morality, of course, is needed. But only religion does this well - I don’t understand how to convince people in a non-religious society that all this is bad.

MARK D., 11 YEARS OLD. I think that there is no need to monitor morality. Well, it is necessary, but in extreme cases - in the case of a very high level of dishonesty. For example, bribes. It seems to me that it is better for people to find morality themselves and follow it, because if someone followed morality, it turns out that people would depend on the opinions of others.

TEXTBOOK (illustration - State Duma). There are special organizations in society that make sure that people follow the rules and regulations. These are the prosecutor's office, courts, police. They make sure people don't break laws. There is nothing like that in morality - no “moral organizations”, no special “moral guardians”, “moral watchdogs”. All people make their contribution to the maintenance of morality and moral education.

What is indifference

The words indifference and indifference are very close in definition, but there is a slight difference.

Indifference is worse than indifference. A person may not be indifferent, but indifferent to any particular topic. For example, he will readily rush to the aid of a drowning man, but will not pay attention to a hungry kitten.

An example is apathy, which is manifested by lethargy, lack of strength, emotions, motivation, and an indifferent attitude not only to others, but also to one’s own problems. Life consists exclusively of disappointment and fatigue, relationships with other people do not attract attention.

Apathy is a consequence of severe stress, emotional burnout, depression, somatic diseases, endocrine disorders, and a side effect of taking certain medications.

As a rule, no one makes the difference between indifference and indifference.

How do you understand the words “to be a reasonable egoist”? Give examples of reasonable selfishness.

MARK D., 11 YEARS OLD. Selfishness is definitely a bad quality, if you can call it that. Reasonable egoism is generally something incredible for me, because I can’t imagine how a bad quality can be transformed in any way into a good one.

STEFANIA S., 10 YEARS OLD. A reasonable egoist is a person who thinks only about himself, but in difficult times will help any neighbor. For example. Sergei Syroezhkin from the film “The Adventures of Electronics”.

TEXTBOOK. Reasonable egoism is the ability of a person, pursuing his own interests, to promote the common good. A reasonable egoist understands that he can satisfy his interests only by caring about the people around him and the society in which he lives.

Why do people become indifferent

A person does not become indifferent just like that. Sometimes cheerful, active and sympathetic people become indifferent.

Often certain reasons lead him to indifference:

1. Previously suffered mental and emotional trauma.
2. Lack of understanding of someone else's problem due to lack of similar life experience.
3. Mental disorders (alcoholism, mental retardation, consequences of drug use).
4. Being in a situation of severe emotional stress and tension (change of place of residence, dismissal from work).
5. Loss of a loved one, severance of relationships with significant people.
6. Lack of support from loved ones and rest.
7. Experience of physical or emotional abuse.

In order to prevent indifference in yourself and your loved ones, it is important to create comfortable living conditions, take care of yourself, and not ignore the needs of the body.

Why Empathy Is Normal

The problem of indifferent people is a problem of the entire surrounding society. How is a person different from an animal? The ability to come to the aid of one’s neighbor, the ability to sympathize, to empathize with the grief of others. Because of indifferent people, every year in the world many people die on the streets from heart attacks, beatings and robberies occur, which could have been avoided if a passer-by had not turned away indifferently, but at least called for help.

A person becomes indifferent not because our society is bad. There is no need to look for an excuse for our callousness and cowardice in the time or state in which we live. Listen to your heart - how often has it refused to respond to other people's tears? How often have you not responded to other people’s problems just because you have too many of your own? How often have they covered up their reluctance to part with a penny by saying that beggars can be scammers?

It's not about the people around you, it's only about yourself and your ability to do good deeds. Don't expect gratitude for the feeling shown. Love - and you will be loved.

Reasons for indifference

People are not born indifferent, but become indifferent as a result of experience and other factors.

Sometimes fatigue of the soul leads to such a state, when a person has suffered for a long time and experienced a lot of negativity in life. With the help of indifference, he tries to protect himself from new pain. He becomes indifferent and cold, not allowing anyone to invade his inner world. Over time, as a rule, the wounds heal and the person thaws out, returning to his usual way of life. In this case, indifference acts as a form of mental protection.

If we consider the topic more globally, then we all have a very low sensitivity threshold. If earlier the news that a plane crashed somewhere and all the passengers died caused people to be shocked, then after 10–20 such cases this became the usual norm.

It's the same with everything else. Today we have access to absolutely any information. In one click we open the Internet - we are bombarded with tons of aggressive advertising, crime news feeds, news about disasters, cataclysms, accidents, the numbers of dead and wounded are indicated, stories of the sick, disadvantaged and insulted are given.

We are accustomed to negativity and have developed resistance to it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to surprise, shock and touch us. We are used to abstracting ourselves and withdrawing into our shell.

What other reasons for indifference can be identified:

1. Mental disorders. This includes both congenital pathologies and acquired disorders caused by long-term use of drugs, alcohol addiction, depression, etc.
2. Stress. When a person is under the influence of chronic fatigue and tension for a very long time, emotionally exhausted, anxious, the ability to experience additional experiences decreases significantly.
3. Egocentrism. Concentration on one's own person also leads to indifference. A person often takes the position of a victim, expects support and self-pity. At the same time, the problems and interests of other people are leveled out and considered insignificant.

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The danger of indifference

An indifferent person is unemotional, and this is much worse than just hatred. Human indifference greatly affects the quality of life, and sometimes even leads to bad and irreparable consequences. So, for example, in the 70s in New York, about 40 people witnessed how a girl who was desperately trying to fight for her life was killed on the street in broad daylight. None of these people tried to intervene, and only a few called the police, but it was too late, and the girl’s soul left for a better world.

Callous people are all around you, this makes you scared, because if you need help, there will be nowhere to wait for it. Even if many people shout about how it is possible not to provide help, in most cases, when they see an unconscious person on a bench, they will simply pass by. And sometimes timely assistance can save a person’s life.

What is human freedom?

NIKITA M., 11 YEARS OLD. A person cannot have freedom: a person needs food and drink, he will always be dependent on it. And gravity also prevents you from taking off. The maximum freedom a person can achieve under these conditions is the freedom to do whatever he wants. For this, people need power, money... But such freedom corrupts.

STEFANIA S., 10 YEARS OLD. Modern man cannot be free, because he is always limited in his actions, and human freedom is the unlimitedness of his actions.

TEXTBOOK. Freedom is the ability of a person to determine his behavior taking into account the laws of nature and society.