The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 1949, Vol. XVIII, p. 290.

Apathy is defined as a state of affectlessness, and its striking characteristic is the visible lack of emotion and drive. It was studied in men who had spent three or more years as prisoners of war in the hands of the Japanese or who had been stationed for years on isolated islands in the Pacific. Apathy was the end-result of prolonged deprivation. The earlier reaction of rebellion led to defeat and humiliation until finally all response seemed to disappear. There was loss of hope with an impoverishment of thinking processes. The regression went to a passive, oral, libidinal level as well as a severe restriction of ego functioning. In contrast to the depressive patient, the apathetic individual had an external object which he hated freely and without quiet. Improvement began when lost objects were again charged with libidinal cathexis.