Learned helplessness and depression

When was the last time you experienced a negative event? Did you fail a test? Did you have a fall out with a friend? Did you get rejected from a job you really wanted to get? We’ve all been there … but now consider what your thought processes were in these situations. Did you think ‘I’m such a screw up’ … ‘I’m a failure’ … ‘I always mess things up’. Or did you think something more along the lines of ‘It’s a one off’ … ‘I’ll do better next time’ … ‘I'll take it as a learning curve for the future’. Well the thought process you are more inclined to take can have significant effects on the way that you feel, your self-esteem and even your mental and physical health.A scientist by the name of Martin Seligman conducted an experiment, which although radical and unethical by todays standards, did yield some interesting findings. Seligman harnessed dogs so that they could not escape the electric shocks he administered. The dogs initially howled, whimpered and made their best efforts to escape however eventually came to accept that there was nothing they could do about it. They instead lied on the floor without struggle exhibiting behaviours resembling depression in humans. Seligman then placed dogs in a shuttle box from which they could escape, however what he found was that while dogs in the control group did escape, those in the experimental group (the group who originally couldn’t escape) made no efforts to escape. This phenomenon has since come to be known as learned helplessness. Learned helplessness refers to the expectancy that one is unable to escape or cope with aversive events and the motivational and learning deficits that come with this mindset.Learned helplessness generally comes from a pessimistic explanatory style of thinking in which people blame themselves for the negative events that happen to them. These beliefs come from thought processes that are internal (have to do with the individual themselves rather than the outside world) stable (don't change across time/situations) and global (apply to a range of circumstances). For example, somebody who has just failed a test might think something along the lines of …Internal ‘I’m a failure’Stable ‘I’m going to fail everything’Global ‘I’m going to be a failure my entire life’Learned helplessness can be seen all around us. It is what happens when abused partners or children make no effort to leave. It is what happens when people who’ve experienced failed relationships give up on finding love. And it is what happens when people experiencing depression give up on recovery.So how powerful is learned helplessness when it comes to depression? Studies have found that negative or stressful events early in childhood often lead to negative attribution styles, thereafter increasing their vulnerability to feelings of depression and helplessness when stressful events occur later in life. In other words, these negative cognitive styles are precipitating factors for depression. When people believe they have no control over the stressors in their lives, they tend to become depressed, believing that their situation is hopeless and that they are incapable of changing their circumstance no matter which course of action they take.Often times this style of thinking may deter people from seeking help or meaningfully engaging in services, thought processes or activities which may be of use in their process of recovery, instead thinking … ‘What’s the point? Nothing will ever get better, I’m going to feel this way forever I just need to accept it’. Not only is this attribution style damaging for ones mental health but this style of thinking also appears to predict poor physical health later in life too.So what do we do?Learned helplessness lies in the attributions one makes … it is not failure itself that produces helplessness, rather, the decreased belief in ones competence that leads to it. Therefore one needs to change their thought processes and gain a sense of empowerment within their lives and their abilities to cope with their stressors. For some, challenging their thought processes and examining alternative pathways and more positive thinking styles in the face of stressors may be necessary. For others, treatment options such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) or other similar methods may be useful in changing these negative cognitive patterns. While we all succumb to thoughts representing that of learned helplessness at some point or another, it is important to remember that a particular instance (or instances) does not define you and does not dictate the course of your life.