Affective Flattening: What Is It And Why Does It Occur?
Affective flattening defines the inability to express emotions and feelings. It is a type of indifference in emotional matters that occurs as a symptom of underlying disorders.
Joy no longer appears in situations of relaxation, fear does not appear, there is no sadness or anger. Only the coldness, the emptiness and the absence of expression are evident.
The psychopathological phenomenon can be the result, in certain cases, of schizophrenia. However, there are many other conditions that can explain it. Let’s dive into it.
Symptoms of affective flattening
It is true that each of us react to stimuli and experiences in a specific way. There are those who are more expressive and there are also those who are colder. However, this clinical reality outlines the symptom of some mental illness or disorder. It is important to request an assessment as soon as possible to know the cause that originates the situation.
The affective flattening is a psychological phenomenon as striking as it is disabling. People are emotional creatures who reason and emotions are our most important language. Not showing them and, what is worse, not feeling them, already shows some kind of problem.
Among the main symptoms we can mention the following:
People feel dull and anesthetized. What happens in their environment does not attract their attention and they are indifferent to any experience that, in normal cases, would arouse some emotion.
Speech loses musicality, there is no intonation. Communication is flat, similar to that of a robot.
Absence of eye contact. They do not look us in the eye when we speak to them.
There is also a total absence in the expressiveness of the face.
Lack of non-verbal language. That is, the body does not show emotions either.
Although some of these patients are unable to show emotional expressiveness, they do recognize it in others. People with schizophrenia, for example, can tell if someone else is happy or sad. On the other hand, those who suffer from depression are unable to do so.
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