🚶‍♀️ How to Fight Learned Helplessness and Take Back Control 💪

What is learned helplessness

Learned helplessness is a state in which a person convinces himself that he cannot control or change the events that happen to him, and as a result does not even try to do anything. At the same time, a person is not always in a truly hopeless situation.

Often, learned helplessness occurs after prolonged periods of severe stress.

A woman who finds herself in an abusive relationship at some point catches herself thinking that it is impossible to get out, that she is powerless to change anything. And she stops trying, discarding any options as doomed to failure.

A child who was bullied at school goes to university and behaves in a new environment and with new people in the same closed and distant way, because he simply sees no point in acting differently.

A burned-out employee who couldn't find a way to cope with the excessive demands of her superiors ends up sitting out hours in the office and doesn't feel like she has the strength to even look for another job.

People who are sure that their vote will not change anything anyway refuse to go to the polls and participate in political life.

All of these are manifestations of learned helplessness, inaction dictated by the feeling that “nothing will change anyway.”

The learned helplessness hypothesis was first described in 1967 by American psychologists James Overmyer and Martin Seligman. To test it, Seligman and his colleague Stephen Mayer conducted experiments on dogs that became classics of psychology.

The animals were divided into three groups. They were all placed in special booths, in which a painful but not fatal electric shock was passed along the floor. In the first group, the dogs could turn off the electricity by pressing their noses on a special panel on one of the walls. In the second group, the animals did not receive the shock only when it was turned off in the first. The third group was not subjected to pain at all.

After 64 shocks with an average interval of 90 seconds, the animals from all groups were placed in a chamber with a partition over which they could jump. Electric current was passed through one half of this chamber and the dogs' reactions were monitored. The animals from the first and third groups jumped to the opposite side. But most of the dogs from the second group (which did not control the electric shocks in the first stage of the experiment) lay down on the floor and, whining, endured increasingly stronger shocks.

Similar experiments were conducted by American graduate student of Japanese origin Donald Hiroto on people. Only his subjects were not shocked, but forced to listen to unpleasant sounds while doing their work. Hiroto obtained similar results: most of the participants who were not given the opportunity to turn off the unpleasant sounds during the first stage of the experiment did not even try to do so during the second stage.

The results of the research showed that helplessness is caused not by traumatic events themselves, but by the experience of their uncontrollability. The scientists also identified three signs of learned helplessness:

Motivational deficit is the inability to respond to ongoing negative influences. Associative deficit is the impairment of the ability to respond to further negative consequences. Emotional deficit is an insufficient response to painful actions.

The experiments of Seligman and his colleagues became part of the cognitive revolution of the 1950s and 1960s in psychology. Among other things, this led to a change in views on the nature of motivation. The experiments proved that it depends not only on our desires and actions, but also on the probability of their implementation, how we assess our chances of achieving the goal and what efforts are ready to make to achieve it.

How Learned Helplessness Occurs

Through neurobiological analysis, it was found that the brain, feeling helplessness, selectively activates neurons (5-HT) in the midline region of the medulla oblongata. They trigger a feeling of anxiety and stress.

According to Seligman's concept, there are three sources of formation of learned helplessness:

• Experience of experiencing adverse events.
• Experience of observing helpless people.
• Lack of independence in childhood.

Let's take a closer look at how learned helplessness arises in children and adults.

In children

Traumatic experiences in childhood play a special role in the formation of this mental feature. If a child often turns to parents for help but does not receive it, he may decide that he is not able to influence the situation in any way. However, overprotection can also lead to a similar result. Sometimes this condition persists into adulthood.

In addition, children may develop a sense of powerlessness as a result of abuse.

The example of parents and other adults is of great importance. The child must simultaneously see a model of behavior in his parents, receive help and support from them if necessary, but at the same time learn to take responsibility for his actions.

Children can overcome learned helplessness by developing good relationships with their parents, using humor, and being able to be independent and make decisions on their own.

In adults

Most often, learned helplessness occurs in people who face a large number of stressful situations where nothing depends on their will. The death of loved ones, layoffs at work, fires or natural disasters – all this can cause a person to become convinced of the futility of their actions.

In this case, he gets used to a passive role, loses motivation and, even when he has the opportunity to improve his situation, does not resort to it. Manifestations of learned helplessness can also include low levels of self-esteem and willpower.

It has been noted that women are more likely than men to suffer from learned helplessness, as well as depression. The fact is that women are often brought up to be passive, and their personal success (for example, in their careers) is often downplayed and considered “inappropriate.”

Facing difficulty can influence how we behave later. A 2004 study found that students who saw difficult questions at the beginning of a test felt self-doubt and then skipped even easy questions. Those who took a test that started with easier questions did not experience such difficulties.

There is also an opinion that learned helplessness can be formed by the state system. For example, with the universal distribution of goods, a person will not correlate the quality of his life with his own efforts and, accordingly, try to improve it.

What problems in life can learned helplessness lead to?

In 1976, American psychologists Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin conducted an experiment in a nursing home in Connecticut. They separated two groups: the elderly people on the second floor were surrounded by maximum care and attention, while those on the fourth floor were given more control over their lives. While on the second floor, cleaning, arranging, watering plants, and choosing movies to watch in the evening were the responsibility of the staff, on the fourth floor, these responsibilities fell on the residents of the institution themselves.

Residents of the fourth floor began to feel happier according to their personal feelings, and according to medical workers, they became healthier. The results of this experiment clearly demonstrate how control over the situation has a beneficial effect on our mental and physical state.

Below are examples of what a lack of control can lead to.

An unhealthy pessimism appears

A pessimist assesses the situation more realistically, his thinking copes well with a negative assessment of future events. But he can also turn caution into a habit. And where an optimist will take his own with persistence, a pessimist will retreat without even trying.

For example, a smoker may believe that it is impossible to quit after several failed attempts. The same thing happens to someone who wants to lose weight, but because of failures decides that they will never be able to change. Victims of domestic violence often suffer from learned helplessness. They convince themselves that, despite support from others, they will not be able to hide from the abuser.

Therefore, it is best when there is a balance between optimism and pessimism.

Inability to make decisions and apathy develop

Learned helplessness often leads to a person ceasing to make decisions. They stop learning adaptive responses—the ability to change their behavior depending on the circumstances—or using them in difficult situations.

For example, people who have given up because of failures often turn to social networks in search of help and support. But in reality, this is of little help and the person simply uses Internet resources to forget or while away the time. This turns him into a passive observer, isolated from reality.

The risk of depression and other health problems increases

In the 1970s, Seligman claimed that learned helplessness is one of the causes of depression. The scientist concluded that people who repeatedly find themselves in uncontrollable stressful situations may lose the ability to make decisions or effectively achieve their goals. Further studies also found a link between learned helplessness and PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder. A person suffering from their pessimism even cares less about their own health: the lack of internal energy leaves them no strength to exercise or stick to a diet.

A pessimist, even if he was physically and mentally healthy in his youth, has a greater chance of developing health problems by the age of 45–60. Experiments have also proven that there is a connection between a feeling of hopelessness and the risk of developing cancer. In addition, learned helplessness, like depression, worsens the functioning of the immune system.

Why Some People Are Not Affected by the Effects of Learned Helplessness

Not everyone who experiences childhood abuse, domestic violence, or other negative experiences develops learned helplessness.

It's all about how a specific person reacts to events that happen to them, how they explain them. Martin Seligman believes that people with a pessimistic attitude to life are more likely to experience learned helplessness. According to the scientist, optimists often consider troubles to be random and independent of their actions, while pessimists do the opposite. Negative thinking can give rise to the feeling that failures are natural.

To prove his theory, Seligman analyzed the texts of campaign speeches of US presidential candidates over several decades. He came to the conclusion that those who made more optimistic statements always won. According to the researcher, this indicates that a person who believes in the best is more likely to succeed.

However, it is worth saying that the success of a pessimistic or optimistic strategy depends on the person's field of activity. The same Seligman writes that it is better for a company if its manager is an optimist and his deputy is a pessimist. The latter tend to assess the situation more realistically, which is very important in solving many problems.

How to Get Rid of Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is not a death sentence, and it can be overcome. In each specific case, the paths to overcoming it may differ, but there are two main ways.

Use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques

The best solution would be to undergo a course of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which will help change your style of action and perception of the world. It is best to visit a psychologist for this purpose. But there are some things you can do on your own:

• Find someone who will listen to you and support you. Understand the reasons for the occurrence of learned helplessness and find the negative thoughts that accompany it. You can write them down. – Determine which of your actions reinforce learned helplessness. For example, viewing the pages of “successful people” on social networks, which leads to conclusions like “I'm just a loser.”
• Try to become more optimistic in your behavior and thoughts. For example, come up with a physical action, such as slapping the table or shaking your head, that will mean an end to negative thinking.
• Work on your self-esteem. For example, after a failure, analyze it a few days later to identify the reasons for the failure without emotions. You can also remember your achievements to overcome thoughts about your own powerlessness.
• Don't cling to the worst reason for your anxiety, but identify the real one. For example, “Girls don't like me” is the worst reason, while “I had a bad relationship experience” is the real one. – As much as possible, get rid of the circumstances that lead to learned helplessness. For example, limit communication with people who treat you with disdain.
• Define your goals and plan specific tasks to achieve them.

Exercise, healthy eating, and meditation can help. They build resilience and a sense of control, which is important for combating learned helplessness.

Develop learned, or selective, optimism

Martin Seligman also developed the concept of “learned optimism.” According to it, in order to break out of the cycle of helplessness, you need to learn to perceive events constructively, to give yourself arguments in favor of the fact that unpleasant situations are not your fault. This concept is also known as “flexible optimism.”

To implement his idea, Seligman, together with psychologist Albert Ellis, created the ABCDE method (Adversity, Belief, Consequence, Disputation, Energization). To apply it, you first need to understand what difficulties or adversities (Adversity) you have encountered. Then, determine how you interpret them (Belief) and what feelings and actions they evoke (Consequence). Having done this, you can provide a counterargument (Disputation), which will also remind you of the benefits of positive thoughts. This, according to Seligman, will give you energy (Energization) for further achievements.

An example would be the different reactions of an optimist and a pessimist to failing to complete something on time. While the pessimist gets upset and perhaps thinks that he or she is incapable of doing anything, the optimist will say to himself or herself, “I didn’t manage to complete the task on time. I had too little time, although if I had had a little more time, I would have done it.” In fact, this statement reveals the ABCDE model.

The way out of the state of learned helplessness is through action. But to take the necessary actions, to break out of the cage of circumstances, you need to find resources and sources of hope that change is still possible.

And here it is difficult to name a universal strategy that is suitable for everyone: for some, rest, “rebooting” and inspiring books or films will be enough; for others, the best way to perk up is with the help of loved ones; for others, the help of a specialist will be needed.

Ultimately, nothing helps you overcome learned helplessness better than experiencing success. Start small and do something you know you can do: clear out the clutter on your desk, wash the windows, go for a run. This will start your journey to feeling in control and overcoming stress.