Unlearning (Learned) Helplessness

What is Learned Helplessness?

Whenever we face any adverse situation in life, our immediate urge is to fight it and restore equilibrium. But what if one feels they have no control over the situation? What if one feels, no matter what they do, nothing is going to change?

It leads to learned helplessness -- the belief that trying is futile and it's best to just accept the situation as it is because there is no escape. The reason why we use the word "learned" here is because it is important to understand that we are not born with negative self-belief, but we are conditioned in believing it due to negative life experiences and our perception.

The Discovery

While conducting experiments (though ethically questioned), Seligman and his colleagues accidentally discovered the concept of learned helplessness. They observed that dogs who were classically conditioned (learning by constant association) to believe that they have no control over a situation, accepted the fate and continued to bear the electrical shocks believing there's no way out. This has been widely observed amongst not only animals but also humans. The experiments (not as brutal) were also conducted on humans which lead to the understanding that subjecting them to situations where they have no control leads to three types of deficits - cognitive (this is uncontrollable), motivational (nothing I can do will change this) and emotional (feeling overwhelming emotions because of being unable to handle it).

Learned Helplessness and Mental Health

Can you think of a subject that you weren't particularly fond of in school and found immensely difficult? If scoring marks on the initial tests and exams was difficult for you, it is likely that you believed that no matter what you do, this is not going to change, you will not score well, and giving up is probably better. You can also associate this with someone who probably has been having failed relationships or receiving rejections in interviews. This leads to the final belief -- this will never work out for me.

Learned helplessness can stem from adverse childhood experiences where significant caregivers were inconsistent and unresponsive to the child's emotional needs. The belief that the child grows with is that they cannot do anything to change the situation and have to accept it as it is. This may lead them to feel frustrated and give up very easily, have low self-esteem, no will of putting effort into doing something, feel demotivated, be passive observers, and procrastinate. This not only negatively influences the present, but it also leads us to believe that the past was completely out of our control and forces us to believe that the future is going to be no different. A preconceived notion of surrender being the only solution before even trying is experienced by the individual.

The impact of learned helplessness on mental health is immense because it makes individuals believe that everything in life will remain as it is and will never change. It'll lead them to have an external locus of control over all events in their life which might eventually lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. This impact is also observed amongst domestic and sexual abuse victims who believe there is no other way because they have been acclimatized to it.

Overcoming Learned Helplessness

Inspite of these challenges learned helplessness is not permanent. With careful early intervention, we can overcome the negative impact it may have on an individual's mind and help them develop healthier thinking patterns. The idea is to challenge the negative beliefs we hold and question them, and slowly dispute them to pave our way towards healthier and more rational thinking patterns. Focusing on building a growth mindset and learned optimism which focuses on building your resilience and believing in yourself in therapy has been proven to be effective.

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Author

Nirali Hundiya

Nirali is a Counselling Psychologist who strongly believes in propagating the importance of mental health. She has acquired a Master's in Counselling Psychology and has extensive experience working with schools and organizations. Using a humanistic approach to therapy, she creates a safe and effective space for her clients. She believes that everyone in the world has the ability to achieve their highest potential if people around them and they believe in themselves.

She loves working with children and believes that empowering them is essential to create an empathetic and kind society in the future.