Sometimes we are telling others in a stressful situation “I am helpless, I can’t do anything, I don’t know what to do, so I am doing nothing”. It seems general to all. But when it is generalized for everything to a person it creates several problems in the functioning of human behaviour, in psychology, it is called Learned Helplessness.
This article is today elaborating on this Learned Helplessness and some tricks to overcome it.
What is Learned Helplessness?
Learned Helplessness can simply be defined as a state that arises at a time after a person has been exposed or faced a stressful state repetitively. During such experiences individuals believe that they are incapable to control or adjust the situation, such affected individuals do not attempt to try — even if they are with opportunities for change.
How can we identify Learned Helplessness?
Everyone may face different adversities on occasion due to the absence of coping mechanisms. But Learned Helplessness arrives with more complexities than symptoms like avoiding decisions, inappropriate attitudes, easily giving up, Inability to tolerate frustration, no effort, low motivation, negative behaviour, poor self-esteem, procrastination and not even attempting to even try.
Can Learned Helplessness be defined as a mental condition?
No, Learned Helplessness is not, but it can sometimes be an indication of syndromes such as depression or anxiety.
What are the causes of Learned Helplessness?
According to the experiments it has been found that this (Learned Helplessness) results due to suffering stress or trauma. During such times individuals find that they don’t have any power or strength to control it hence they feel helpless and demotivated.
Some of the general causes can be identified for Learned Helplessness including different types of abuses, negligence faced during childhood, weaknesses, parental issues, accidents, traumatic life incidents like disasters.
Causes and effects
If parents or guardians too much restrict the children with over care it will result in the behaviour of those children in due course. It creates problems in decision-making, relationship issues, the choice for something, independency, and much more with the growth of age and maturity.
What are the symptoms can see in children?
Especially if this affects children, we can see the features like disappointment to ask for help, frustration, letting things go, not trying, lack of self-esteem, inactiveness, poor enthusiasm and postponement etc.
What are the consequences of Learned Helplessness?
Low or lack of self-esteem, dependence on others, especially Adult Entitled Dependence (AED), can lead to mental disorders like anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suffering handling and moving behaviours plus addiction and substance use. Problems to get the desired outcomes, like changing careers or leaving a relationship and specially dissatisfaction about life together with hopelessness.
Learned Helplessness examples
Students sometimes when they are failing to solve mathematical questions during some study sessions and some of their friends are easily solving those. In such situations, the subject student feels I am not good in maths, so I am avoiding maths. If it continues he doesn’t try for it even and avoids it due to this Learned Helplessness.
Think you are a smoker, you know the consequences of smoking. Meantime you need to stop smoking but still, you're smoking as usual because of this factor of Learned Helplessness.
How to overcome Learned Helplessness?
Go for the best available professional mental health care partner closer to you.
If you or someone feels this Learned Helplessness, so go for the best available professional mental health care partner closer to you. With the guidance of professionals, it can be overcome but one needs to continue with one's own interest.
Understand the reality and go for remedies
When anyone feels this, he or she has to understand the gravity of it for life. To overcome those it’s a need to go for better cure mechanisms like psychotherapy or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Parenting with an idea of the effects of Learned Helplessness
Explore the origins of Learned Helplessness and go for psychological treatments.
Understand the ways and means to overcome Learned Helplessness with new strategies.
Talk to someone closer to you
Identify your negative thoughts which are accelerating the Learned Helplessness and attempt to avoid those. So for this, you can talk to someone close to you and get assistance to overcome or go for a better solution.
Improve your self-esteem; keep corporate with your loved ones
Set goals and objectives to overcome the challenges in the long term and short term.
Change your existing lifestyle patterns, do some exercises, walk at least 20 minutes per day, have healthy meals, and avoid unpleasant situations. So you have to have some goals for those.
The writer holds Bsc (Hons) Counselling Psychology
Add new comment