learned helplessness
Trained to surrender
Learned helplessness is a psychological state in which someone stops trying to improve their situation because past efforts have repeatedly failed.
The concept originated in animal experiments where subjects exposed to inescapable shocks eventually stopped attempting escape even when escape became possible.
It extends to human behavior: After years of rejected applications, he fell into learned helplessness and stopped job hunting altogether.
The term appears in discussions of depression, abuse, and poverty.
Inability to affect outcomes
- hopelessnessState without hope
- passivityState of non-resistance
- apathyAbsence of feeling
- despairTotal absence of hope
futility · inaction · defeat · entrapment · paralysis · victimhood · inertia · stagnation
Deliberate keeping away
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- passivityState of non-resistance
- inactionDeliberate nonmovement
- nonresistanceRefusal to oppose force
compliance · submission · disengagement · underperformance · procrastination · freezing · shutdown
Doctrine of inevitable outcomes
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- defeatismAcceptance of inevitable failure
- cynicismDistrust of human sincerity
- catastrophizingImagining worst-case outcomes
overgeneralization · self-blame · uncontrollability · unpredictability · expectancy · rumination
Learned behavioral adaptation
- dogsDomesticated barking mammals
- laboratoryFacility for scientific investigation
- controllabilityCapacity for external regulation
- inescapableImpossible to avoid
Curative mental treatment
- cognitive-behavioralRelating thought to action
- reattributionChanging credited origin
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- self-efficacyBelief in one's capabilities
resilience · coping · intervention · psychotherapy · counseling · reframing · agency · motivation
powerlessness
Inability to affect outcomes
- hopelessnessState without hope
- passivityState of non-resistance
- apathyAbsence of feeling
despair · futility · inaction · defeat · entrapment · paralysis · victimhood · inertia · stagnation · immobilization
avoidance
Deliberate keeping away
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- passivityState of non-resistance
- inactionDeliberate nonmovement
nonresistance · compliance · submission · disengagement · underperformance · procrastination · freezing · shutdown
fatalism
Doctrine of inevitable outcomes
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- defeatismAcceptance of inevitable failure
- cynicismDistrust of human sincerity
catastrophizing · overgeneralization · self-blame · uncontrollability · unpredictability · expectancy · rumination
conditioning
Learned behavioral adaptation
- dogsDomesticated barking mammals
- laboratoryFacility for scientific investigation
- controllabilityCapacity for external regulation
therapy
Curative mental treatment
- cognitive-behavioralRelating thought to action
- reattributionChanging credited origin
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
self-efficacy · resilience · coping · intervention · psychotherapy · counseling · reframing · agency · motivation · growth
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
- Psychology ResearchStanford prison experiment, Pavlov's dogs, marshmallow test, classical conditioning, operant conditioning
- psychology termsmotivation, habits, self-knowledge, stress, intuition
- manipulationgaslighting, guilt tripping, blame-shifting, brainwashing, guilt trip
- psychological phrasesinner child, defense mechanism, cognitive dissonance, id, ego
- traumaabuse, abandonment, abandonment trauma, acute stress, amnesia
learned helplessnessself-efficacy
Belief in one's capabilities
personal agency · empowerment · self-determination · agency · autonomy
learned helplessnessresilience
Capacity to recover quickly
grit · perseverance · persistence · mental toughness · hardiness
learned helplessnessinitiative
Self-directed action capacity
drive · self-motivation · intrinsic motivation · entrepreneurial spirit · fighting spirit
learn, learning, learned, helper, learner, helpless, learns, unhelpful, helpers