![]() :)Īnother excellent (and much more impressive, IMHO) word to say what you're describing is "apatheia." Apatheia is a primary tenet of Stoicism, and refers to a state of being in which one is separated from one's emotional distress by willing its subordination to the rational part of the mind. Although someone with a certain educational background might wag their finger and point out that, as such, modern American usage doesn't convey the full extent/meaning of Stoicism, most folks wouldn't get that deep about it. ![]() I believe "being stoic," "acting stoically," or perhaps even "practicing Stoicism" would all serve well for this purpose. The reason to discuss all of this, however, does relate to your actual question searching for a word to convey emotionless activity. cultural norms, so please pardon my digressing somewhat. Also, of course, your question concerns neither philosophy nor current U.S. Although one of my undergraduate majors was Social Philosophy, I didn't pursue Stoicism much in my classes, and wouldn't consider myself well-informed, let alone an expert. Much later, in college, I came to understand that Stoicism is, in fact a very old, complex philosophical system which greatly influenced many other philosophical & religious traditions throughout history. Modern American English tends to use the terms "stoic" and "stoicism" in this very vague, general sense simply meaning the sublimation of apparent (i.e., external, perceived by others) and/or actual (i.e., internal, felt & experienced by oneself) of emotional response. Over the years as I grew up, I discovered not only that the practice of hiding painful emotions is a cultural mainstay from the German, Slavic, and Catholic aspects of my family's cultural heritage, but also that it is generally expected as a rudimentary indication of adulthood & strength (or more precisely, any display of such emotions is considered childish & "weak") for men in the United States. Soon, you internalize that perception, and you begin to gain the perspective necessary to regain internal balance." ![]() Doing this provides a small victory in that who/whatever's responsible isn't perceived as having the power to dramatically influence your feelings. When something makes your feelings spike, try to appear outwardly indifferent to the cause. I came to understand the term's meaning as: "Don't be ruled by your emotions, and certainly don't let someone/thing else be in charge of how you feel. When I was a kid, and became really upset regarding something about which nothing could immediately be done, and I couldn't get over it in a reasonable time, my mom would sometimes urge me to try to "be stoic" about it.
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