Learned Helplessness

Has it ever happened that you worked tirelessly for an important school test but still did not get good results and then thought to yourself that no matter how much hard work you put in you never get the results, so you feel like giving up altogether? This particular thought pattern might showcase the psychological phenomenon known as Learned Helplessness.  

Learned Helplessness is a mental state where the person believes that he cannot control the situation or solve a difficult issue so he doesn’t even try. This happens when someone has repeatedly faced problems that could not be controlled. As a result, even when a problem could be resolved, they do not try to solve it.  

History  

The theory of learned helplessness was first given in 1967 by Prof. Martin Seligman and  Prof. Steven F. Maier. They studied this behaviour in dogs. They experimented by giving electrical shocks to the dogs after the sound of the bell, after a few times the dogs became classically conditioned. They started associating the sound of the bell with the shock they received.

Later Seligman made a new box with a dividing fence in between. One side of the fence was electrified the other was not. Seligman thought that the dogs could easily jump over the fence to the side that was not electrified. However to his surprise when he placed the dogs that were classically conditioned to the shock, almost none of them jumped over the other safe side. They simply lay down on the electrified side without putting any effort to get out of the situation.  

When Seligman brought new dogs that were not conditioned to the electric shock he noticed that nearly all of them jumped over the fence to save themselves. From this, Seligman found out that the dogs that did not jump over the fence had learned to be helpless. When they could not get out of the first situation of the shocks they thought they could not escape even a second time, when there was a solution available. Seligman named this as learned helplessness. Even though there are a lot of ethical issues in this experiment it was still a very important study that gave us one of the groundbreaking theories. 

Symptoms  

All of us feel like giving up when we do not get the results for our efforts but learned helplessness has some long-lasting symptoms that include – lack of motivation, giving up easily without trying much, avoiding making decisions, not putting in too much hard work or sometimes not even trying, low self-confidence, procrastinating a lot, etc.  Even though learned helplessness is not a mental disorder it can lead to some mental health issues like depression and anxiety. Feeling worthless, not being able to concentrate on anything, being constantly tired,  difficulty sleeping or weight loss are also considered as some of the symptoms of learned helplessness.  

Causes  

Learned helplessness occurs when a person constantly experiences stress and feels they have lost control over their life. People who have gone through extremely traumatizing events in life like abuse or extreme poverty are more at risk of going through learned helplessness. Not getting the attention of parents in childhood, natural disasters or domestic violence can cause learned helplessness where the person feels that his life is not in his own hands and that he cannot escape from the situation.  For example – If a person suffers from domestic violence, they might feel there is no escape and stop trying to change the situation. Similarly, during a natural disaster, people might feel everything is lost and not attempt to restore normalcy.

Impact  

Learned helplessness reduces the person’s ability to deal with difficult situations. For example – if a person is an introvert and gets awkward while speaking to people he will start feeling that no matter what he does he will never be able to talk with people without getting nervous and slowly start to avoid all kinds of social interactions. This will impact his social life. In this way learned helplessness might limit your ability to experience different life experiences, it will keep making you feel that you are worthless making it difficult to try out new things in your life.  

Learned helplessness in children 

As mentioned before learned helplessness can be caused when the child is not given enough love and care. Feeling neglected in childhood can cause learned helplessness. For example, when no one helps the child when he needs it or asks for it, this can lead to him feeling that he cannot do anything and the situation is uncontrollable. Experiencing such instances constantly will strengthen the child’s belief, contributing to his condition.  

Learned helplessness can make children unable to solve even simple problems on their own, decrease their confidence, cause them difficulty in making any decision for themselves and reduce their interest in trying out new activities. They might feel overwhelmed even when a simple problem arises.  

Overprotecting the children from all the problems instead of letting them experience things on their own can make children overly dependent on their parents, causing learned helplessness. Even though it is done with good intentions it is important to let your children be independent and let them experience their own life experiences.  

Mental health conditions 

Learned helplessness is not a mental disorder but it can lead to some serious mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It is considered a thought disorder, it is a condition that occurs due to your thinking pattern. Learned helplessness is also linked with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and phobias. Some of the symptoms of depression and anxiety like no motivation or low self – esteem are also found in learned helplessness.  

Overcoming  

Even though it might feel like there is no solution for this condition it can be controlled with proper strategies like – 

• Start taking care of yourself by developing healthy habits.
• Try to do challenging activities, getting out of your comfort zone can be helpful. 
• Try forming healthy bonds. Having people who support you can solve a lot of problems. 
• Along with all of this, seeking help from a proper mental health professional is also very important.  
• Do things that will help you relax. Too many stressful activities are one of the main causes of learned helplessness so, take a break.  

Learned helplessness is a condition that can be reduced with proper strategies. It is important to believe and trust yourself and try to not give up.  Problems are part of life and it is important to keep them as a part rather than making your whole life about it. It is wisely said, that it is not important to win every small battle, winning the war is more important.  

FAQs  

1. What is learned helplessness? 

Learned helplessness is a condition where a person who has constantly faced problems in life that he could not overcome starts thinking that he has no control over the things happening and doesn’t try to solve any issues that do have solutions.  

2. Who gave the theory of learned helplessness? 

The theory of learned helplessness, introduced by Prof. Martin Seligman and Prof. Steven F. Maier in 1967, suggests that individuals subjected to uncontrollable situations may develop a belief that they lack control over their circumstances, leading to passivity even in situations where control is possible.

3. What are the causes of learned helplessness?  

Constant exposure to unsolvable problems is one of the main causes of learned helplessness. This condition can also arise from experiences of chronic stress, trauma, or adversity where individuals perceive a lack of control over their circumstances. Over time, these factors contribute to the development of learned helplessness.

4. What are the common symptoms of learned helplessness? 

Common symptoms of learned helplessness include a lack of motivation, quick resignation in the face of challenges, difficulty making decisions, low self-esteem, and feelings of worthlessness. These symptoms often manifest as a result of repeated experiences where individuals perceive their actions as ineffective in controlling their outcomes.