- Ikenna Paschal Okpaleke
American psychologist Martin Seligman and his colleagues discovered what they called ‘learned helplessness’. I shall present the description of this concept as given by Barry Schwartz in his work, The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More (2004).
[Seligman and his colleagues] were conducting a series of experiments on basic learning processes in animals. The experiments required animals to jump over small hurdles to escape from or avoid electric shocks to the feet. The animals typically learn this quickly and easily, but a group of animals that were exposed to the task after having experienced a series of unavoidable shocks failed to learn. Indeed, many of them failed even to try. They sat passively and took the shocks, never venturing over the hurdle at all. The explanation for this failure was that when the animals were being exposed to the uncontrollable shocks, they learned that they were helpless. Having learned this helplessness, the animals then transferred the lesson to the new situation, one in which they actually did have control.
As the laboratory work on learned helplessness continued, Seligman was struck by a variety of parallels between helpless animals and people who are clinically depressed. Especially striking was the parallel between the passivity of helpless animals and the passivity of depressed people, who sometimes find trivial tasks like deciding what to wear in the morning overwhelming. Seligman speculated that at least some instances of clinical depression were the result of individuals’ having experienced a significant loss of control over their lives and then coming to believe that they were helpless, that they could expect this helplessness to persist into the future and to be present across a wide range of different circumstances. According to Seligman’s hypothesis, therefore, having control is of crucial importance to psychological well-being.
What is presented above is learned helplessness in the case of clinical depression. But it can also happen in other situations or circumstances. In sum, learned helplessness simply means giving up on a particular thing on the basis of repeated failures in similar past attempts.
Apart from the issue of clinical depression, is it also possible that we are faced with learned helplessness when it comes to building unity in our communities, within Christianity, in our society?
To be continued in the next episode….
Alongside One Another 
I have learnt a great deal. Waiting for more.
Thank you Padre.
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Thanks a lot Ejyke. Send to all your groups. Let’s engage on these issues. God bless!
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I’m trying to relate the above topic “learned helplessness” to our everyday life as the members of the community. Sometimes, when you find yourself totally helpless in dealing with some problems arising in the community, you find yourself compromising to some issues due to the fact others might not neccessary see things in your own point of view. As an individual one cannot force the society to obey one’s will, in a case like this, one has no choice than to resign to fate. For instance, a church in a particular village had an issue over a piece of land with the entire community, the church tried their very best to make peace with the community by sending their priest and some of the church committee members to have a peace talk with the village head and his cabinets, the village youth pursued them with cutlasses and stones. The church attempted twice and gave up because nobody stood out to give them listening ear, they found themselves helpless and succumbed. Neverthless, it takes only three people to convert Babylon, let’s keep struggling and never give up.
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Thanks Kelechi for very nice contributions. As we shall learn in subsequent treatment of this topic, learned helplessness can apply to other circumstances, but the problem is when it leads to depression whereby one feels that the problem is in oneself and not in the situation. God bless you!
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A major stumbling block that keeps hunting us. The assumption that is impossible to succeed at least not without being involved in one crime or another. Or that we cannot change the society and as such let’s endure. Will be eagerly expecting the episode…
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Thank you so much Ifeanyi. You are absolutely correct. We often confirm ourselves in our failures and seldom look for alternate means or strategy of overcoming our difficulties. God bless you!
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Quite insightful. We see the illustrations given above Everyday.
Lots of people have given up the will to push and fight against circumstances that may have plunged them into unwanted situations, and have accepted such situations as a part of their lives. Hence sending them into the awaiting grasp of depression, while forgetting that things and situations will and can only remain the same if no attempt is made to address, contain or completely remove them.
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Thank you so much Rose. I am sure that you are making contribution from your experiences. I pray you continue to overcome your challenges. God bless!
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A wonderful analogy… there’s always something we can do even when previous approaches seemingly failed.
“Keep trying and never give up; take control.”
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Thanks a lot Fr. Max. That is the message. God bless!
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This really explains the situation of many people and many things in Nigeria today. How it has taken root is shocking. We have to work hard and continue fighting but it is absolutely difficult. Though many has seen and understand the situation but do not even want to start anything because of the chain. Again they do not even want to be part of it because they are afraid of the dangers.
A little example from where I am working now nothing is normal you almost begin everything with a “fight” ( spiritual or verbal ) and end the same way otherwise you will be disappointed.
Yet that has not created any presidence tomorrow the same way, quite discouraging.
With this insight we continue and never give up.
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Thank you so much Fr. Joachim. Pleased to have your comment and contribution here. We need t help our people believe that there could be another way of thinking that breaks the chains. God bless you!
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Fr, i remember someone telling me when I i newly came to Europe that if I have to succeed here in Europe I will have to sell my conscience. She and others suggested so many crazy things for me to to either get money or get a residency. Life was hard, 6 goods years without documents no permanent job. But i had promised my self that i will not bow to the destructive advices i will receive from people. All i will hear is this :this is Europe n u have to survive at all cost. But i thank God he gave me the grace and
the ability to be strong in the mist of the storm. To cut the long story short God blessed me with everything i needed without me compromising my values n my faith in God. It was a rough road.
No matter the crises and challenges we face in life, with prayer patience hard work and good will, it will be alright someday. We should learn to do somthing extra ordinary and not be easily defeated and accept what ever life throws at us. Dont give up. Stand up and fight. Do not look at the circumstances sorroumding you. One day at a time as God leads the way. Thanks Rev.
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Thanks Shella for your comment. I think your experience also points to another dimension of the learned helplessness, namely the helplessness that is learnt from the failures of others and not from one’s experiences of failure. This must also be avoided. That others tried and tried and failed in a particular thing does not mean that you will fail too. So it is wrong for people to conclude things about themselves based no the experience or assessment of others. Thank you so much for contributions. God bless and keep sharing!
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