Obliviousness is the

mental state A mental state, or a mental property, is a state of mind of a person. Mental states comprise a diverse class, including perception, pain/pleasure experience, belief, desire, intention, emotion, and memory. There is controversy concerning the exact ...

of being oblivious, generally understood to mean "a state of being unmindful or unaware of something, of being ignorant or not conscious of its existence". Obliviousness differs from

unconsciousness Unconsciousness is a state in which a living individual exhibits a complete, or near-complete, inability to maintain an awareness of self and environment or to respond to any human or environmental stimulus. Unconsciousness may occur as the r ...

in that the oblivious person is conscious, and could or should be aware of the things of which they remain unaware. A state of obliviousness may be intentionally sought by those wishing to avoid acknowledging or dealing with surrounding realities. In fiction and literature, obliviousness is often used for comedic effect.

Overview

Obliviousness may be described as going beyond a mere lack of some level of

awareness In philosophy and psychology, awareness is the perception or knowledge of something. The concept is often synonymous with consciousness. However, one can be aware of something without being explicitly conscious of it, such as in the case of bli ...

, and becoming an act of repression of an awareness that should exist. Although an unconscious person may similarly be unaware of things around them, obliviousness "implies not a cessation of all attention but only that directed outwardly", with the oblivious person's attention being "directed inwardly—to thoughts, feelings, imaginings, fantasies, worries or bodily states which have nothing or little to do with the world at hand".David Seamon,
A Geography of the Lifeworld: Movement, Rest, and Encounter
' (1979), p. 104-5. Obliviousness "extends to activities, especially those involving drudgery or repetition", for which " ople may actually encourage a state of obliviousness as they work". It is "sometimes associated with positive inner states", but "more often occurs in situations of sickness, hurry or negativity". It has been suggested that when individuals exhibit an absence of concern about what others think of them, this "could be due either to their obliviousness to social concerns or to their desire to create the image, in their own minds and for others, of being autonomous and independent individuals". In some contexts, obliviousness to problems serves as a defense mechanism against the need to engage in efforts to change those problems. For example, members of a majority group may be oblivious to discrimination and related struggles faced by members of a minority with whom they regularly interact. Remaining oblivious relieves the majority group members of a sense of responsibility for the problems of the minority group.

In popular culture

In fiction, obliviousness is commonly exploited for

comedic Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Gr ...

value, and the characteristic has been described as "tailor-made for comic plotting; no sooner does 'reality' assert itself than a recovery commences".Theodore B. Leinwand, ''Theatre, Finance and Society in Early Modern England'' (1999), p. 56. The characteristic is identified as one of the key traits of the "

lovable loser The lovable loser is a character archetype portrayed as a sympathetic, likable, or well-meaning person for whom bad luck continually prevents their various efforts from succeeding, and from obtaining the things they feel will bring them happines ...

" character archetype, typified by the behavior of such characters in describing plans or pursuing dreams that objective observers immediately realize are futile, a fact to which the loser remains oblivious.Scott Sedita, ''The Eight Characters of Comedy: A Guide to Sitcom Acting and Writing'' (2014), p. 74.

References

{{reflist Mental states