Define Learned Helplessness: Understanding its Causes, Symptoms, and Ways to Overcome

Learned helplessness is a psychological condition that arises when individuals or animals, after experiencing repeated adverse situations they cannot control, start to believe they are powerless to change their circumstances. This belief leads to a sense of resignation, where they cease to try to influence or escape negative experiences, even when opportunities for positive change become available. This concept, initially observed in animal behavior, has significant implications for understanding human psychology and behavior in various life situations.

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-171988943-56a02a4c5f9b58eba4af0791.jpg)

Understanding Learned Helplessness

At its core, learned helplessness is about perception and control. When someone repeatedly encounters situations where their actions seem to have no impact on the outcome, they may develop a cognitive shift. They begin to learn that effort is futile, and that they are helpless to alter their fate. This learned passivity extends beyond the original adverse situation and can generalize to new, even controllable, scenarios.

While rooted in animal studies, the principles of learned helplessness are profoundly relevant to human experiences. Imagine a student who consistently fails exams despite diligent studying. Over time, they might internalize a belief that they are simply incapable of succeeding in that subject, regardless of their efforts. This can lead to decreased motivation, avoidance of studying, and ultimately, poorer academic performance – a self-fulfilling prophecy driven by learned helplessness.

This article will delve deeper into the phenomenon of learned helplessness, exploring its telltale symptoms, the groundbreaking research that defined it, the underlying causes, and crucially, effective strategies for overcoming this debilitating mindset.

Symptoms and Signs of Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness manifests through a range of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive symptoms. While everyone experiences setbacks and challenges, learned helplessness is characterized by persistent and pervasive signs, including:

Avoidance of Decisions: Feeling overwhelmed and unable to make choices, even in simple situations.
Negative Attitude: A consistently pessimistic outlook, expecting failure and negative outcomes.
Giving Up Easily: Abandoning tasks or goals prematurely at the first sign of difficulty or frustration.
Low Frustration Tolerance: Becoming easily discouraged and overwhelmed by obstacles.
Lack of Effort: Reduced initiative and motivation to engage in activities or pursue goals.
Low Motivation: A general sense of apathy and disinterest in things that were once enjoyable or important.
Passive Behavior: A tendency to be inactive and withdrawn, avoiding challenges and opportunities.
Poor Self-Esteem: Negative self-perception, feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.
Procrastination: Delaying tasks and responsibilities due to a belief in inevitable failure or lack of control.
Refusal to Try: An unwillingness to attempt new things or engage in activities perceived as challenging.

It’s important to note that while learned helplessness itself is not classified as a mental health disorder, these symptoms can overlap with and potentially exacerbate conditions like depression and anxiety. If you recognize these signs in yourself or someone you know, seeking professional guidance is a crucial step.

:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/seligman_shuttlebox-58c91bbd3df78c3c4fa9307f.gif)

The Discovery of Learned Helplessness: Pioneering Experiments

The concept of learned helplessness emerged from the accidental discoveries of psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier during their research on classical conditioning with dogs in the late 1960s. Initially, they were studying how dogs learned to associate a tone with an impending electric shock.

In their initial experiments, dogs were placed in harnesses and subjected to pairings of a tone followed by a mild electric shock. As expected, the dogs quickly learned to anticipate the shock upon hearing the tone, demonstrating classical conditioning.

However, the researchers then proceeded to a different experiment using a shuttle box – a divided chamber where dogs could jump over a low barrier to escape an electric shock on one side. Surprisingly, dogs that had previously undergone the classical conditioning with inescapable shocks in harnesses behaved differently in the shuttle box compared to dogs without this prior experience.

Dogs with no prior shock experience quickly learned to jump over the barrier to escape the shock in the shuttle box. However, the dogs that had previously experienced inescapable shocks in the harnesses made no attempt to escape the shock in the shuttle box. Even when escape was readily available by simply jumping over the low barrier, these dogs passively endured the shocks, whimpering and showing signs of distress, but not attempting to take action.

To further investigate this unexpected behavior, Seligman and Maier designed a more controlled experiment with three groups of dogs:

Group One (Control Group): Dogs were placed in harnesses for a period of time but received no shocks. This group served as a baseline control.
Group Two (Escape Group): Dogs were placed in harnesses and received electric shocks, but they could learn to control and stop the shocks by pressing a panel with their noses. This group experienced controllable shocks.
Group Three (Inescapable Shock Group): Dogs were placed in harnesses and received electric shocks of the same intensity and duration as Group Two. However, these dogs had no way to control or stop the shocks. The shocks appeared to be random and unavoidable for this group.

Subsequently, all three groups of dogs were tested in the shuttle box. The results were striking and confirmed the initial observations. Dogs from Group One (control) and Group Two (escape) rapidly learned to jump over the barrier to avoid the shock in the shuttle box. They had learned that their actions could control the outcome.

However, dogs from Group Three (inescapable shock) exhibited learned helplessness. Despite the easy escape available in the shuttle box, they made no attempts to avoid the shocks. They had learned from their previous experience that their actions were futile in controlling the shocks, and this learned helplessness carried over to a new situation where escape was indeed possible. These experiments provided the foundational evidence for the phenomenon of learned helplessness and its profound impact on behavior.

What Causes Learned Helplessness?

Learned helplessness is often rooted in experiences of uncontrollable stress or trauma. When individuals repeatedly face situations where they perceive a lack of control over negative events, they may begin to develop a sense of helplessness. This perceived lack of control is the critical element that triggers the learned helplessness response.

Several factors and experiences can contribute to the development of learned helplessness:

Abuse: Physical, emotional, or verbal abuse can create an environment of powerlessness and lack of control for the victim.
Childhood Neglect: Consistent lack of responsiveness from caregivers or unmet needs can lead to a child feeling that their actions have no impact on their environment.
Chronic Illness or Pain: Dealing with persistent health issues that feel unmanageable can foster feelings of helplessness.
Domestic Violence: Similar to abuse, domestic violence situations involve a power imbalance and lack of control for the victim.
Natural Disasters: Experiencing events like floods, earthquakes, or hurricanes can lead to a sense of helplessness in the face of overwhelming forces.
Traumatic Events: Exposure to trauma, such as accidents, violence, or loss, can be profoundly disempowering and contribute to learned helplessness.
Overparenting: Ironically, overly controlling or protective parenting can also contribute to learned helplessness in children. When children are constantly shielded from challenges and not allowed to experience independence and problem-solving, they may fail to develop a sense of personal agency and resilience. They may learn that they are incapable of handling difficulties on their own.

The development of learned helplessness involves a combination of three key elements:

Contingency: This refers to the objective relationship between actions and outcomes. In learned helplessness situations, there is a perceived or actual lack of contingency – actions do not reliably lead to desired outcomes.
Cognition: This involves how individuals interpret and understand these contingencies. It’s not just about the objective lack of control, but also the belief and perception of uncontrollability.
Behavior: This refers to the resulting actions or inactions. Learned helplessness manifests as passive behavior, reduced effort, and a failure to attempt to exert control, even when control is possible.

The Role of Explanatory Styles

While exposure to uncontrollable events is a significant factor, not everyone who experiences such events develops learned helplessness. Individual differences in how people explain and interpret negative events – their explanatory style – play a crucial role in determining susceptibility to learned helplessness.

Explanatory style, also known as attributional style, refers to an individual’s characteristic way of explaining the causes of events, particularly negative events. A pessimistic explanatory style is strongly associated with an increased risk of developing learned helplessness.

Individuals with a pessimistic explanatory style tend to attribute negative events to:

Internal Causes: Blaming themselves for negative events (“It’s my fault”).
Stable Causes: Believing that the causes of negative events are permanent and unchangeable (“It will always be this way”).
Global Causes: Generalizing negative events to many areas of their life (“This affects everything I do”).

This pessimistic outlook fosters a sense of hopelessness and uncontrollability, making individuals more vulnerable to learned helplessness when faced with adverse situations. Conversely, an optimistic explanatory style, which attributes negative events to external, unstable, and specific causes, can act as a buffer against learned helplessness.

The Impact and Effects of Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness can have wide-ranging and detrimental effects across various aspects of life. Its impact is evident in both animal models and human experiences.

Consider the example of academic performance. A child who consistently struggles with math, despite putting in effort, may develop learned helplessness in this domain. They may start to believe that no matter how hard they try, they will always fail at math. Consequently, when faced with math-related tasks, they may experience feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and a lack of motivation to even attempt the work. This learned helplessness can significantly hinder their academic progress and create a negative cycle of failure.

Beyond academic settings, learned helplessness has been linked to a range of psychological disorders and challenges, including:

Depression: Learned helplessness is considered a core component of some theories of depression. The feelings of hopelessness, passivity, and lack of control in learned helplessness closely mirror the symptoms of depression.
Anxiety Disorders: Learned helplessness can exacerbate anxiety, particularly in situations where individuals feel unable to cope with or control perceived threats.
Phobias: Learned helplessness can contribute to the maintenance of phobias, as individuals may feel powerless to overcome their fears.
Shyness and Social Anxiety: In social situations, learned helplessness can manifest as a belief that one is unable to improve their social skills or overcome shyness, leading to social withdrawal and isolation.
Loneliness: Learned helplessness can contribute to feelings of loneliness and isolation, as individuals may stop trying to connect with others due to a belief in their inability to form meaningful relationships.

However, research also indicates that learned helplessness is not always generalized across all situations. An individual may exhibit learned helplessness in one specific domain, such as academics or work, but not in other areas of their life. For example, a student struggling with math may still feel competent and in control in social situations or extracurricular activities. In other cases, learned helplessness can be more pervasive and generalize across a wider range of situations, significantly impacting overall well-being and functioning.

Learned Helplessness in Children: Early Onset and Effects

Learned helplessness can often originate in childhood, with early experiences playing a crucial role in shaping a child’s sense of control and agency. Unreliable or unresponsive caregivers can contribute significantly to the development of these feelings.

Children raised in institutionalized settings, where their needs may not be consistently met, are particularly vulnerable to developing learned helplessness, sometimes exhibiting symptoms even in infancy. When a child’s cries for attention or help are repeatedly ignored, or when their environment is unpredictable and unresponsive, they may learn that their actions have no impact on their surroundings. This early experience can lay the foundation for a generalized sense of helplessness that extends into later life.

Some common symptoms of learned helplessness observed in children include:

Failure to Ask for Help: Children may stop seeking assistance even when needed, believing that help will not be forthcoming or effective.
Frustration and Irritability: Feelings of powerlessness can manifest as increased frustration and emotional reactivity.
Giving Up Easily on Tasks: Children may quickly abandon tasks or activities that present challenges, lacking persistence and resilience.
Lack of Effort in Schoolwork or Activities: Reduced motivation and engagement in academic or extracurricular pursuits.
Low Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence: Negative self-perceptions and a lack of belief in their abilities.
Passivity and Withdrawal: A tendency to be inactive, withdrawn, and less engaged in their environment.
Poor Motivation and Initiative: A general lack of drive and enthusiasm for learning and exploration.
Procrastination on Schoolwork and Chores: Delaying tasks due to a belief in their inability to succeed or cope.

Learned helplessness in children can also contribute to the development of anxiety and depression. When children internalize the belief that they lack control over their lives, they may develop a pessimistic outlook and anticipate negative outcomes. This can lead to feelings of anxiety about future events and depression related to past experiences of helplessness. Academic struggles can further reinforce feelings of learned helplessness, creating a cycle of discouragement and underachievement.

Learned Helplessness and Mental Health Conditions

Learned helplessness has a significant interplay with various mental health conditions, particularly anxiety and depressive disorders. It can contribute to both the onset and severity of these conditions, as well as influence their persistence and treatment outcomes.

In the context of anxiety, especially generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), learned helplessness can play a crucial role. Individuals with chronic anxiety may experience persistent and pervasive worry that feels uncontrollable. Over time, they may develop learned helplessness regarding their anxiety symptoms, believing that their anxious feelings are inevitable and untreatable. This sense of uncontrollability can exacerbate their anxiety and lead to a reluctance to seek or engage in effective treatments.

Similarly, in depression, learned helplessness can be a central feature. The core symptoms of depression, such as hopelessness, loss of interest, and passivity, align closely with the behavioral and cognitive manifestations of learned helplessness. Individuals experiencing depression may feel trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts and emotions, believing that their situation is unchangeable and that their efforts to improve are futile. This can lead to avoidance of help-seeking behaviors and a poorer response to treatment.

As individuals age, learned helplessness can become a self-perpetuating cycle in the context of mental health. When faced with challenges like anxiety or depression, if they have already developed a learned helpless mindset, they may be less likely to seek out or engage with potentially helpful resources such as therapy or medication. This lack of action further reinforces their feelings of helplessness, contributing to a worsening of their mental health symptoms.

Strategies for Overcoming Learned Helplessness

Fortunately, learned helplessness is not an insurmountable condition. With targeted strategies and consistent effort, individuals can learn to challenge and overcome feelings of helplessness and regain a sense of control over their lives. Intervention is often most effective in the early stages of learned helplessness, but even long-term learned helplessness can be reduced with persistent effort.

Effective strategies for overcoming learned helplessness include:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), is a highly effective approach for addressing learned helplessness. CBT focuses on identifying and modifying negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to feelings of helplessness.

CBT helps individuals:

Identify Negative Automatic Thoughts: Recognize the automatic, often negative, thoughts that arise in response to challenging situations.
Challenge Negative Thoughts: Critically examine the validity and accuracy of these negative thoughts, questioning the evidence that supports and refutes them.
Replace Negative Thoughts with Realistic and Optimistic Thoughts: Develop more balanced and realistic perspectives, focusing on problem-solving, coping strategies, and potential for positive change.
Behavioral Activation: Engage in activities that are enjoyable or meaningful, even when motivation is low, to counteract passivity and build a sense of accomplishment.
Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Learn effective strategies for breaking down challenges into manageable steps and taking action to address them.

Self-Care Strategies

In addition to therapy, self-care practices can play a significant role in overcoming learned helplessness. Engaging in self-care activities can foster a greater sense of control, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being.

Exercise: Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce symptoms of learned helplessness and improve mood and energy levels.
Adequate Sleep: Prioritizing sufficient sleep is essential for emotional regulation, cognitive function, and overall resilience.
Stress Management Techniques: Practicing stress-reducing activities such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can help individuals cope with challenges and reduce feelings of overwhelm.
Healthy Diet: Nourishing the body with a balanced and healthy diet supports physical and mental well-being, contributing to a greater sense of control and energy.

Social Support

Seeking and utilizing social support is crucial in overcoming learned helplessness. Connecting with supportive friends, family members, or support groups can provide encouragement, validation, and a sense of belonging. Supportive individuals can help challenge negative thought patterns, offer practical assistance, and motivate individuals to keep trying even when faced with setbacks. Sharing experiences and receiving encouragement from others who believe in your ability to cope can be incredibly empowering.

Overcoming learned helplessness is a process that requires patience, persistence, and self-compassion. By utilizing therapy, self-care strategies, and social support, individuals can gradually challenge their learned helplessness mindset, regain a sense of control, and cultivate a more optimistic and empowered outlook on life.

A Word From Verywell

Learned helplessness can have a profound and pervasive impact on mental health and overall well-being. It can contribute to symptoms of depression, elevated stress levels, and decreased motivation to care for physical health. However, it’s crucial to remember that learned helplessness is not a fixed or permanent condition.

It’s important to recognize that individuals respond to challenging experiences differently. Some people may be more susceptible to learned helplessness due to a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors. Children raised by parents who exhibit helplessness, for example, may be more likely to develop learned helplessness themselves.

If you suspect that learned helplessness is negatively affecting your life or mental health, seeking professional help is a valuable step. A healthcare provider or mental health professional can conduct a thorough evaluation, provide an accurate diagnosis, and recommend appropriate treatment options. Therapy can help you challenge negative thought patterns and replace feelings of learned helplessness with a sense of learned optimism – the belief in your ability to influence positive outcomes and create meaningful change in your life.