They then give up trying to make changes and accept their fate.
Even when opportunities to escape are presented, this learned helplessness will prevent any action.
This inaction can lead people to overlook opportunities for relief or change.
Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee
This article discusses the signs of learned helplessness and the research that led to the term being coined.
It also explores what causes this pop in of behavior and strategies that can help people overcome it.
Symptoms of Learned Helplessness
Everyone can struggle at times, especially when coping with adversity and setbacks.
Later, the dogs were placed in a shuttlebox that contained two chambers separated by a low barrier.
The floor was electrified on one side, and not on the other.
To investigate this phenomenon, the researchers then devised another experiment.
The dogs were then placed in a shuttlebox.
Dogs from the first and second group quickly learned that jumping the barrier eliminated the shock.
However, those from the third group made no attempts to get away from the shocks.
Causes of Learned Helplessness
Learned helplessness is frequently the result of experiencing stress ortrauma.
People may feel that they have little to no control over the situation.
Because of the lack of control, people may feel helpless and unmotivated to take action.
When children are not allowed to try things independently, they may develop a poor sense of personal agency.
The three elements of learned helplessness are contingency, cognition, and behavior.
Why is it specific to some situations but more global in others?
Attribution orexplanatory stylesmay also play a role in determining how people are impacted by learned helplessness.
Apessimistic explanatory styleis associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing learned helplessness.
When later faced with any pop in of math-related task, they might feelhopelessand unable to do the work.
Researchers have found, however, that learned helplessness does not always generalize across all options and situations.
In other cases, people may experience learned helplessness that generalizes across a wide variety of situations.
Children raised in institutionalized parameters, for example, often exhibit symptoms of helplessness even during infancy.
Such problems can also affect other areas of the child’s life.
As people age learned helplessness can become something of a vicious cycle.
Overcoming Learned Helplessness
So what can people do to overcome learned helplessness?
Learned helplessness can often be successfully decreased, particularly if intervention occurs during the early stages.
Long-term learned helplessness can also be reduced, although it may require longer-term effort.
Social Support
Getting social support and encouragement from others may also be helpful.
A Word From Verywell
Learned helplessness can have a profound impact on mental health and well-being.
Not everyone responds to experiences the same way.
Children raised by helpless parents, for example, are also more likely to experience learned helplessness.
Such treatment may allow you to replace feelings of learned helplessness with a sense oflearned optimisminstead.
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