Learned Helplessness

Definition

The pattern of attributions and behaviors that leads an individual to see no connection between the behavior and the outcomes resulting in feelings of hopelessness, depression, and passivity [5].

Description

Learned helplessness is the perception of little or no relation between one’s behaviors and outcomes. Learned helplessness theory assumes individuals seek explanations for events, particularly negative events such as school failure, interpersonal problems, poor health, or loss in sports. These explanations and the attributions that underlie them affect expectations for future events. These future expectations then determine behavioral responses, including passivity, anxiety, and depression. Children who develop learned helplessness tend to attribute their failures to a lack of ability. However, when these children succeed they attribute it to external factors, such as luck, rather than ability [5].

The theory of learned helplessness was first proposed in 1967 by Steven...