Laziness (also known as indolence or sloth) is emotional disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or to exert oneself. It is often used as a pejorative; terms for a person seen to be lazy include "couch potato", "slacker", and "bludger". Related concepts include sloth, a Christian sin, abulia, a medical term for reduced motivation, and lethargy, a state of lacking energy.
Despite the famed neurologist Sigmund Freud's discussion of the "pleasure principle", Leonard Carmichael noted in 1954 that "laziness" is not a word that appears in the table of contents of most technical books on psychology".[1] A 1931 survey found high-school students more likely to attribute their failing performance to laziness, while teachers ranked "lack of ability" as the major cause, with laziness coming in second.[2] Laziness should not be confused with avolition, a negative symptom of certain mental and neurodevelopmental disorders such as depression, ADHD, ASD, sleep disorders, substance use disorders and schizophrenia.[3][4]
- ^ Leonard Carmichael (Apr 1954), "Laziness and the Scholarly Life", The Scientific Monthly, 78 (4): 208–213, Bibcode:1954SciMo..78..208C, JSTOR 21392
- ^ Harry Howard Gilbert (Jan 1931), "High-School Students' Opinions on Reasons for Failure in High-School Subjects", The Journal of Educational Research, 23 (1): 46–49, doi:10.1080/00220671.1931.10880126, JSTOR 27525294
- ^ "NIMH · Schizophrenia". nih.gov.
- ^ Johnston, Charlotte; Freeman, Wendy (2002). "Parents' Beliefs About ADHD: Implications for Assessment and Treatment". The ADHD Report. 10: 6–9. doi:10.1521/adhd.10.1.6.20567.