aboulia
- noun
- /əˈbuːliə/
- Specialized
- Patients with aboulia often struggle to make even simple decisions, such as what to eat for lunch.
Examples
-
The lack of energy characteristic of aboulia is attributed by Ribot to a diminishing of excitation and to a consequent inability to actively exercise the will (42).
Academic text (1992) -
Ribot suggested that aboulia was the result of an antithetical condition between a will to act on the one hand, and a series of restraints to the motor impulse on the other, that sent contrary signals to the brain and produced an inhibition of intended results (133-34).
Academic text (1992) -
Symptoms of aboulia can include a lack of motivation and difficulty in initiating tasks.
-
A person experiencing aboulia might find it hard to get out of bed or engage in daily activities.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A serious loss of the ability to decide and act
Antonyms
How Decisive
Surface Forms
Morphology
aboulia = boulia (opaque) = a + boul + ia
The components are classical Greek combining forms (a- 'not', boul- 'will', -ia) and the term is technical and unlikely to be derivable by an average B1 learner.
Etymology
Aboulia comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'not' and boulē meaning 'will' or 'wish'. So aboulia is like having 'no will', which explains why someone with this condition finds it hard to make choices or to start actions.