Depression and Motivation

Smith, Benedict

Abstract

Among the characteristic features of depression is a diminishment in or lack of action and motivation. In this paper, I consider a dominant philosophical account which purports to explain this lack of action or motivation. This approach comes in different versions but a common theme is, I argue, an over reliance on psychologistic assumptions about action–explanation and the nature of motivation. As a corrective I consider an alternative view that gives a prominent place to the body in motivation. Central to the experience of depression are changes to how a person is motivated to act and, also as central, are changes to bodily feelings and capacities. I argue that broadly characterizing motivation in terms of bodily capacities can, in particular, provide a more compelling account of depressive motivational pathology.

Citation

Smith, B. (2012). Depression and Motivation. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 615-635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-012-9264-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 29, 1999
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2012
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Jul 13, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 19, 2016
• Journal: Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
• Print ISSN: 1568-7759
• Electronic ISSN: 1572-8676
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 615-635
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-012-9264-0