Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Overcoming Learned Helplessness through Training and Intervention
Through Training and Intervention
Cameron Cunningham
Gavin Ball
Nadine Josephs
"The cornerstone of the hypothesis is that learning that outcomes are uncontrollable results in three deficits: motivational, cognitive and emotional. The hypothesis is "cognitive" in that it postulates that mere exposure to uncontrollability is not sufficient to render an organism helpless; rather, the organism must come to expect that outcomes are uncontrollable in order to exhibit helplessness."
(Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale, 1978)
In studying learned helplessness we referenced research by Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale (1978), which defines learned helplessness as an individual’s learnt perception that the results they get are independent of their actions. Essentially, that they have no control over avoiding negative outcomes or producing positive ones in certain situations. This leads to a state of perceived helplessness. It is an important distinction that learned helpless must be just that; learned. In order for an individual to enter a state of learned helplessness, they must first experience a situation where their efforts have no bearing on the outcomes produced. When the individual makes an attribution as to the reason for the disconnect between their efforts and the results they experience, the type of attribution they make is crucial to whether or not they will enter a depressed state of learned helplessness or not, and whether or not the state of learned helplessness will be specific to one particular area of their life or more global, (i.e. affecting many or all areas of their life). There is also an important distinction as to whether or not an individual makes an attribution that is stable or uncertain which will make a difference between whether the state of learned helplessness is temporary and short-term or long-term and chronic. If the individual attributes the lack of results to their own inability, it may or may not result in a state of learned helplessness. If they believe that their efforts make no difference, but the efforts of relevant peers would in the same situation, the individual might attribute the lack of desired results to their own incompetence (e.g. I am stupid, everyone else can do this, but I’m not smart enough). When this happens the individual will enter a state of learned helplessness and depending on other factors such as specificity - whether the attribution is specific such as mathematics(e.g. I’m dumb when it comes to math) or global - applies to to all aspects of life (e.g. I’m an idiot, I can’t do anything right). This is further illustrated in Table 2 on the following slide.
(Abramson, Seligman & Teasedale, 1978)
In their research Abramson, Seligman & Teasdale (1978) further posit that it is likely that once the nature and source of a person’s learned helplessness can be identified that they will can be treated through intervention (i.e. someone correcting their false narrative, or working with them to overcome the gap that exists), they also suggest that it is likely that people who don’t succumb to learned helplessness as readily have at some point been inoculated by experiences of overcoming difficult situations in the past, or having been coached to bounce back quicker from learned helplessness depressive states. Table 3 in the following slide illustrates these hypothesis.
Possible methods for overcoming learned helpless proposed by Abramson, Seligman & Teasday (1978)
Grit, Resilience & Hardiness for Battling Learned Helplessness
Training for all three personality traits - grit, resilience and hardiness - has been shown to be effective in combating learned helplessness. Hardiness, however is the only one in our model that had a formal training system. Whereas in the case of grit and resilience, the training to this point is much less formalized and instead consists of intervention from others, such as a parent, parental figure or teacher and was targeted to children and youth in the examples we reviewed. This differs from hardiness training which is geared towards young adults and adults. The key takeaway from all three theories however is that they are teachable and can improve approaches to life for challenging situations that will inevitably arise.
What further areas of research would you explore after watching this presentation?
If you relate to grit, resilience or hardiness, was there a moment you can identify as the catalyst
for developing the trait(s)?
How does learned helplessness relate to activity theory?
How does it relate to Self Determination Theory?
Teaching Grit and Hardiness allow for people to stick to one goal. People who successfully learn these things do a lot better in the future, and these attributes are associated with positive life outcomes, and academic success.
Customize and add your content