Based on studies of families in southern Appalachia and Philadelphia, Norman Polansky, a professor of social work at the University of Georgia, developed a diagnostic description of mothers who tended to be most neglectful. These mothers appeared passive, withdrawn and lacking in expression. In his description of the apathy-futility syndrome, Polansky de-emphasizes the role of poverty, pointing to the majority of poor families in which there is no abuse or neglect. Extreme apathy exhibited by some mothers is compared to the sense of futility displayed by individuals suffering from characterological disorders or schizophrenia.

Major features of the apathy-futility syndrome include the following traits:

-           A feeling that nothing is worth doing (futility)

-           Emotional numbness similar to deep psychological depression

-           Development of superficial, clinging interpersonal relationships, often accompanied by intense loneliness

-           Unreasonable fear of failure resulting in an unwillingness to attempt new tasks and leading to a lack of competence in many tasks of daily living

-           Passive-aggressive expression of anger

-           Stubborn negativism

-           Limited verbal communication, making it difficult to engage in meaningful dialogue and limiting problem-solving capability

-           An uncanny skill in bringing to consciousness the same feelings of futility in others--a trait interpreted as a defense against change, which appears very threatening to the parent

Though mothers suffering from the apathy-futility syndrome are severely and chronically neglectful of their children, they are unlikely to abandon them outright. Little information is available concerning the father/husband's role in the family. They are described as typically "the first or second man who showed interest in [the mother] and . . . ill equipped in education and in vocational skills."

Often limited in intellectual ability, these mothers tend to be lacking in basic knowledge of child rearing. Polansky cites the mother's own deprived childhood as evidence for an intergenerational cycle of abuse.

Reference: Polansky, Norman A., Mary Ann Chalmers, Elizabeth Buttenwieser, and David P. Williams. Damaged Parents. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.

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