It's no secret that many psychological concepts that are used by experts today, have their roots in ancient times. Among these, one can single out a special quality of the human psyche, which is referred to as ataraxia. This word, in comparison with other more popular terms, is rare in our life. Therefore, now we will consider what it is, what it is characterized by and how ataraxia is manifested.
Brief definition
So, ataraxia is a definition of the behavioral qualities of a person, which is characterized by a complete absence of fear, anxiety and anxiety. In other words, a person who is in a given mental state behaves extremely calmly, insensitively, impartially. Both negative emotions and positive ones are alien to him, therefore he does any work, any work that he has begun, as if in one breath, without changing his mood, technically and impartially. Here it is worth noting that only now this term is used exclusively by psychologists, characterizing the mental state of their clients. Previously, he was exclusively concerned with philosophical teachings, and therefore his story is extremely interesting.
The origin of the word
Ataraxia in philosophy is, first of all, peace of mind, serenity, calmness and equanimity. States that could only be achieved in the mature, and even in their old years wise philosophers and healers of the ancient world. The word itself originated around the fifth century BC, and Democritus of Abdersky is considered his "father". However, in his writings a specific description of this state of mind is found only occasionally. In subsequent years, this topic began to develop Aristotle. In his concept, ataraxia is a special definition of virtue. By this term, he refers to qualities such as courage, restraint, and dispassion.
Ataraxia in ancient teachings
During the period of prosperity of ancient philosophy, this term was widely used in such movements as skepticism and epicureism. Some researchers also believe that ataraxia in philosophy is precisely the starting point that enabled these teachings to develop, because they are, in fact, based on it. Skepticism teaches us that paying attention, first of all, is to the facts. No need to spray on various hypotheses, thoughts and other nonsense. Only with the help of proven material, objects that can be seen and felt, is reality built. In epicureism, ataraxia is the basis for pleasure. Slaves and women came to the philosophical school that was founded by Epicurus. The basis of the teachings for this population were the following dogmas:
- The lack of fear of the gods.
- Lack of fear of death.
- The benefit can be easily achieved.
- Evil can be easily overcome.
School of Stoicism
Concepts such as apathy and ataraxia are closely related to the doctrine called "Stoicism", which appeared in the Hellenistic era and existed until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. In earlier years, these terms are basically the same, and words are considered synonyms. Later, ataraxia became known as the ability to behave calmly, calmly and judiciously, making the right decisions. Marcus Aurelius, in turn, believed that such mental opportunities appear in a person after he has experienced some events, faced with difficulties that made him more callous and robust. It is worth emphasizing here that it is on the basis of his teachings on this account that all the achievements of modern psychologists are based.
In terms of medicine
In contrast to ancient philosophers, in a completely different context, modern psychologists perceive the term "ataraxia". A disease, a disorder, a deviation, which is more often acquired - this is how ataraxia is characterized today. Most often, it is covered by psychologists as an intermediate phenomenon in human behavior. On the one hand, ataraxia manifests itself as a result of severe stress. The body, enclosing itself in the framework of restraint, composure and indifference, protects itself from further emotional upheavals. If ataraxia is achieved in this way (and not artificial, due to spiritual practices), then it can have very serious consequences.
What is fraught with such a disease
Many modern researchers are often interested in the question of what is ataraxia and aphasia in aggregate and how these concepts are related. So, such a mental deviation as ataraxia, if acquired naturally (a consequence of stress), can lead to more serious disorders in the functioning of the brain. The most famous case is considered aphasia - a speech disorder due to damage to the work of neurons in the left hemisphere of the brain. It is worth noting that while the work of the speech apparatus is maintained in a healthy condition. Distorted can be the syntactic norms of speech, morphological or phonemic.
We achieve the cherished goal
Ataraxia was one of the most interesting topics in psychology and philosophy for many sages of the past, as well as for many people of our time. How to achieve such a state, how to stay in it constantly and at the same time not to injure yourself? Let's try to figure it out. We have already decided that such a condition can be a consequence of stress. In this case, ataraxia will be considered a disease, a deviation.
It is a completely different matter if you yourself, as it were, lower yourself into a whirlpool of serenity, impartiality and tranquility. You will have to practice for years, possibly based on some mistakes, life experience. With the right attitude and desire, you will gradually become more reasonable, cold to the little things. Attention will focus only on the most important, and soon the worldview will fundamentally change.
The practices of the ancient sages
In order to independently achieve the state of ataraxia, first of all, you can use the so-called commandments of Epicurus, since they are focused on receiving asocial pleasure, which is closest for a person. So, the bottom line is this: to achieve happiness, a person needs to avoid bodily suffering. At the same time, his soul must remain in complete weightlessness. There should be no love, no hatred, or any other feelings in it. In the end, a person will need friendship with like-minded people who can share his point of view and philosophy. It is also very useful practice to refuse to perceive mutually exclusive concepts, such as grief-joy, beauty-ugliness, life-death, etc. But it is worth realizing that such a thing as truth does not exist. Each has its own, and each has a personal point of view and judgment.