Boredom

QUESTION: What is boredom, psychologically?

ANSWER: I think that boredom is one symptom of withdrawal from the world, underlaid with a sense of helplessness. People use many different means of coping with the problem of feeling helpless. Some use anger and its variations to compensate for it, some give up their authority and responsibility to others - not necessarily people - to help ease the feeling, and some withdraw. Even withdrawal has its variations, however, and boredom is probably the mildest form. When withdrawal is accompanied by anger, it usually results in depression. When it is accompanied by fear, it can result in some form of autism.