第二组狗有可能颓废，也有可能顿悟
就像奥斯维辛集中营的幸存者不少成了心理学家
我想观察大师会朝哪个方向发展
What is learned helplessness?
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyDon May 31, 2019 — Written by Jayne Leonard
What is it?TheoryIn adultsIn childrenWho it affectsRelated conditionsTreatmentSummary
Learned helplessness is a state that occurs after a person has experienced a stressful situation repeatedly. They come to believe that they are unable to control or change the situation, so they do not try — even when opportunities for change become available.
Psychologists first described learned helplessness in 1967 after a series of experiments in animals, and they suggested that their findings could apply to humans.
Learned helplessness leads to increased feelings of stress and depression. For some people, it is linked with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In this article, we explore the state of learned helplessness and suggest some ways to overcome it.
What is it?
Share on PinterestA person who experiences stressful or traumatic situations may develop learned helplessness.
According to the American Psychological Association, learned helplessness occurs when someone repeatedly faces uncontrollable, stressful situations, then does not exercise control when it becomes available.
They have “learned” that they are helpless in that situation and no longer try to change it, even when change is possible.
Once a person having this experience discovers that they cannot control events around them, they lose motivation. Even if an opportunity arises that allows the person to alter their circumstances, they do not take action.
Individuals experiencing learned helplessness are often less able to make decisions.
Learned helplessness can increase a person’s risk of depression.
Prof. Martin Seligman, one of the psychologists credited with defining learned helplessness, has detailed three key features:
becoming passive in the face of traumadifficulty learning that responses can control traumacan increase in stress levels
Background to the theory
In 1967, Prof. Seligman and Prof. Steven F. Maier first described their theory of learned helplessness.
The researchers conducted studies on dogs, in which they exposed the animals to a series of electric shocks.
The dogs that could not control the shocks eventually showed signs of depression and anxiety. Those that could press a lever to stop the shocks did not.
In follow-up research, the dogs that could not control the shocks in the first experiment did not even try to avoid the shocks, despite the fact that they could have done so by jumping over a barrier. They had learned to become helpless.
Many years later, however, Prof. Maier conducted neuroscientific research that suggested that the dogs did not, in fact, learn helplessness — instead, they had not learned control.
