aprosexia Med.
(æprəʊˈsɛksɪə)
[mod.L., a. Du. aprosexia (Guye 1887, in Nederl. Tijdschr. v. Geneesk. XXIII. 381), a. Gr. ἀπροσεξία, f. ἀ- priv. (a- 14) + προσέχειν to turn (the attention): see -ia1.]
Abnormal inability to concentrate one's attention.
| 1889 A. A. G. Guye in Brit. Med. Jrnl. 28 Sept. 709/2 (title) On aprosexia, being the inability to fix the attention and other allied troubles in the cerebral functions caused by nasal disorders. Ibid. 710/1 What I call aprosexia is the inability to fix the attention on any definite more or less abstract subject. 1894 W. James in Psychol. Rev. 528 His aprosexia is complete, and he is incapable of interest in anything whatever. 1901 Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. I. 88/1 Aprosexia is also used in a more general sense for the inability to fix the attention; when due to neurasthenia, it would be neurasthenic aprosexia; when due to nasal obstruction, nasal aprosexia. 1948 Brit. Jrnl. Psychol. Dec. 119 The abnormalities of attention are classified as ‘aprosexia’, ‘hyperprosexia’, and ‘paraprosexia’. |