amotivationaladj.
/ˌeɪməʊtᵻˈveɪʃn̩(ə)l/, /ˌeɪməʊtᵻˈveɪʃən(ə)l/, U.S. /ˌeɪˌmoʊdəˈveɪʃ(ə)nəl/ Psychology.
Lacking motivation, purpose, or direction. Cf. motivation n. 1c.
ΚΠ
1966 Sociol. Q. 7 27 The explanation of the theory must be sought by reference not to it as an intellectual product but to the ‘psychic state’, the pre-intellectual and amotivational state of the individual who advances the theory.
1989 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 4 Mar. 602/1 Medical students entering medical schools with high motivation..who rapidly become amotivational and cynical.
2015 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 3599/2 Although not denying the possibility of motivated reasoning, this theory nonetheless strongly favors amotivational mechanisms.
Compounds
amotivational syndrome n. a syndrome characterized by lack of motivation, apathy, and impaired attention and concentration, typically associated with the use of cannabis and certain other drugs.
ΚΠ
1968 D. E. Smith in Jrnl. Psychedelic Drugs 2 i. 43 Certain younger individuals who regularly use marijuana also develop what I have called the amotivational syndrome in that they lose the desire to work or compete.
1974 M. C. Gerald Pharmacol. xviii. 348 This..amotivational syndrome leads to an alteration in life style and subtle changes in personality and modes of thinking.
2001 Oldie Dec. 14/3 Amotivational syndrome is a well-known and much discussed symptom of cannabis.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1966