Boredom: uncovering feelings from beneath a psychic fog

The confusing nature of boredom has a history of a struggle to define and connect to the topic. This is not surprising as the behaviour of the bored individual is multifaceted and with the variety of symptoms related to chronic boredom it has escaped being designated as a distinct pathology with no common cause. Rather than being seen as problematic, boredom is taken for granted as part of the fabric of everyday life. By exploring boredom through a psychoanalytic frame and by separating and joining classical psychoanalytic and object relations theory, a clearer understanding is gained of how chronic boredom can manifest as a disconnecting from self and others. The aim of this dissertation is to help therapists become more aware of the presence of boredom and its affects, in the clinical situation