Overcoming learned helplessness

Have you ever found yourself tirelessly working towards a goal, only to be met with failure time and time again? This relentless cycle of effort and disappointment can lead us to a dangerous conclusion: no matter what we do, we're bound to fail. This feeling, known as learned helplessness, was something I became familiar with during my psychology studies at UNAM in Mexico. The concept not only deepened my understanding of human behaviour but also evoked profound empathy, especially for the dogs involved in the foundational experiments by psychologist Martin Seligman.

Seligman's experiments in the late 1960s involved dogs that were exposed to electric shocks they could not escape. Eventually, even when given the opportunity to avoid the shocks, the dogs didn't attempt to escape. They had learned to be helpless, believing their actions had no impact on their circumstances. 

Learned helplessness doesn't stop at an interesting psychological phenomenon; it has profound implications for our mental health. It has been linked to depression, anxiety, and a host of other psychological issues. It encapsulates the feeling many of us have faced when, despite our best efforts, we seem trapped in a cycle of failure.

In a recent paper by Boddez and colleagues, learned helplessness is revisited with a fresh perspective. They propose understanding it not just as a response to uncontrollable events, but as a consequence of a lack of reinforcement and a dysregulation of goal-directed behaviour. Simply put, when we fail to achieve a goal, like failing an exam, this failure can cloud our motivation towards other related goals, such as maintaining social relationships. The interconnectedness of our goals means that disappointment in one area can spill over into others, magnifying the impact of failu
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To combat learned helplessness, it's essential to change how we view the vents in our lives -seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty can make a significant difference. Diversifying our goals ensures that our self-worth isn't tied to a single aspect of our lives, providing us with multiple pathways to fulfilment and success. Celebrating other successes, no matter how small, helps to build a positive feedback loop that strengthens our belief in our ability to effect change.

In conclusion, while learned helplessness is a powerful force, it is not impossible to overcome. By understanding the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon and actively employing strategies to counteract its effects, we can reclaim our sense of agency and motivation.