Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you stopped believing in yourself? Were you too afraid to take action or try to improve things because you were convinced failure was inevitable? This happens to everyone at some point, but it’s something you can fix.
Let’s dive into what learned helplessness is, why it occurs, and how to regain control over your life.
What Is Learned Helplessness?
To change your life and start working on yourself, you first need to recognize the problem.
Learned helplessness is a psychological state where a person behaves passively, avoiding attempts to improve their situation even when opportunities exist. For example, if such a person is sports betting, he is just looking for the pattern provided by the experts, not trying to complete the analysis himself. This belief in one’s own helplessness leads to a lack of motivation, low self-esteem, and even depression.
The concept was first introduced by American psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the 1960s. They conducted experiments on dogs to study conditioned fear responses. In the first part of the experiment, dogs in cages heard a high-pitched sound followed by a mild electric shock.
In the second part, the cages were opened. The researchers expected the dogs to flee upon hearing the sound that preceded the shock. Instead, the dogs lay down and whined. The experiment showed that when animals (or humans) are repeatedly exposed to situations where they have no control over negative outcomes, they develop a sense of helplessness.
This phenomenon, known as the theory of learned helplessness, is believed to apply to all mammals, including humans.
How a Person With Learned Helplessness Behaves
There are clear signs of this condition. They manifest when a person faces certain situations and decides how to respond.
People with learned helplessness often:
- Don’t complete tasks, abandoning them at the first sign of difficulty.
- Believe they’re destined to face constant challenges in life.
Test for Learned Helplessness
Here’s how to recognize someone with this syndrome:
- They avoid taking on interesting projects because they fear disappointing others.
- They don’t ask for a raise, convinced they’ll be rejected.
- They don’t seek promotions, believing everyone else is smarter and their ideas won’t be taken seriously.
- They don’t apply to universities because of poor grades in school.
- They avoid art classes, convinced they’re untalented.
- They prefer ordering food instead of cooking, fearing they’ll disappoint others with their results.
Why Does This Syndrome Occur?
Learned helplessness is called “learned” because it develops based on past experiences.
Childhood Experiences
When children aren’t allowed to take initiative, solve problems independently, or are constantly expected to obey without question, they grow up passive, tense, and insecure. They avoid taking steps to change their lives.
Childhood Trauma
Repeated mental or physical abuse from parents or others teaches children not to resist difficult situations. As adults, they unconsciously follow this pattern, often ending up in abusive relationships.
Failures in Adulthood
Repeated failures cause stress and a sense of powerlessness. Criticism from a harsh boss, job loss, or a failed project can lead someone to believe they’re incapable.
Aging and Chronic Illness
People with limited physical or social abilities often rely on others for help. Over time, this behavior spreads to other areas of life, making them feel unable to solve problems on their own.
How Learned Helplessness Forms
Everyone is susceptible to learned helplessness, regardless of a happy childhood, career success, or good health. Behavior is typically reinforced by positive outcomes, a process known as operant conditioning.
To create learned helplessness, the opposite is needed: placing someone in a situation where their actions don’t affect the outcome. For example, if a boss doesn’t reward employees for meeting targets but criticizes them for things beyond their control, the following pattern emerges:
- “I need to meet the target, but I won’t get a bonus or approval anyway.”
- Anxiety → Procrastination → Failure → Reinforcement of the belief, “Nothing depends on me.”
Repeating this cycle a few times is enough to establish learned helplessness.
The Dangers of Learned Helplessness
This condition significantly reduces quality of life, leading to anxiety disorders, social withdrawal, and isolation.
Mental Health
Learned helplessness increases the risk of depression, anxiety disorders, and phobias. People prone to this state often suffer from stress because they don’t try to protect themselves from negative factors.
Physical Health
Seligman’s experiments revealed that learned helplessness affects the immune system. Some studies suggest that stress can trigger strong allergic reactions, though this theory remains controversial.
Social Consequences
Learned helplessness often leads to isolation. Individuals avoid social interactions, convinced their problems don’t interest others. They may cut off contact with friends and family entirely.
How Learned Helplessness Affects Decision-Making and Motivation
People with this syndrome lack motivation to achieve goals and avoid situations requiring effort. They procrastinate, abandon tasks, and struggle to finish what they start.
How to Overcome Learned Helplessness
This syndrome blinds people to potential solutions. To overcome it, you need to practice behaviors that lead to positive outcomes and challenge negative thoughts.
Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques
- Journaling: Write down moments when you feel helpless. Reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Could you have viewed the situation differently?
- Shifting Perception: Replace negative thoughts with neutral or positive ones. Break challenges into small, manageable steps and tackle them one by one.
- Experimentation: Choose simple actions that can improve your life and follow through, even if you doubt the outcome. Track your progress in a habit tracker app.
Confidence-Building Exercises
- Walking: Practice different walking styles—uncertain, dreamy, arrogant, and confident. Notice how each makes you feel and which attracts others.
- Smiling: Experiment with different types of smiles (kind, mocking, cynical, joyful, cold, haughty) to reduce tension and anxiety.
- Phone Conversations: Practice speaking confidently and expressively by varying your tone. Imagine delivering important news in different emotional states.
The Importance of Support
Surround yourself with supportive people—friends, family, or like-minded individuals in clubs or groups.
Practical Tips for Psychologists and Clients
For Psychologists
- Gather Background Information: Help clients recall and analyze past experiences that contributed to their helplessness.
- Assess the Current Situation: Identify what clients struggle to change and set achievable goals.
- Skill Training: Offer specific exercises to help clients take the first steps toward overcoming helplessness.
- Monitor Emotional Reactions and Relationships: Encourage clients to analyze interactions with others and develop new communication skills.
- Supportive Therapy: Schedule follow-up sessions to adjust goals and reinforce new skills.
For Clients
- Identify situations where you feel helpless. What don’t you like? What would you like to improve?
- Think about how you can address these situations.
- Recall past successes and moments of praise.
- Create a step-by-step plan and start taking action.
- Don’t give up and challenge negative beliefs.
- Record your progress in a journal, even if the results aren’t perfect.
- Celebrate your efforts.
After all, recognizing the problem and working on yourself can help you break free from passivity, regain joy in life, and take control of your circumstances. Take the first step today by taking responsibility for your actions. Only you have the power to change your life for the better.
