What Is Learned Helplessness and Why Does it Happen?

When bad things happen, we like to believe that we would do whatever necessary to change the situation. Research on what is known as learned helplessness has shown that when people feel like they have no control over what happens, they tend to simply give up and accept their fate.

What Is Learned Helplessness?

当动物反复受到它无法逃脱的厌恶刺激时，会发生学习的无助。最终，动物将停止试图避免刺激并表现得像它完全无助地改变这种情况。即使追溯到逃脱的机会，这种学习的无助将阻止任何行动。

虽然该概念与动物心理学和行为强烈绑定，但它也可以适用于许多涉及人类的情况。万博maxbetx官网登陆

学习无助的发现

学到了无助的概念was discovered accidentally由心理学家马丁塞里格曼and Steven F. Maier. They had initially observed helpless behavior in dogs that were classically conditioned to expect an electrical shock after hearing a tone.

后来，狗被置于含有由低屏障分开的两个腔室的梭盒中。地板在一侧电气化，而不是另一侧。之前遭受过的狗古典调理不要试图逃脱，即使避免震动只是涉及跳过一个小屏障。

至investigate this phenomenon, the researchers then devised another experiment.

• 在一组中，狗被捆绑在一段时间内，然后释放。
• 在第二组, the dogs were placed in the same harnesses but were subjected to electrical shocks that could be avoided by pressing a panel with their noses.
• 在第三组，狗认为与第两组相同的冲击，除了这一组中的那些不能控制震撼。对于第三组的那些狗，震荡似乎是完全随机的，在他们的控制之外。

然后将狗置于梭盒中。来自第一组和第二组的狗迅速了解到跳跃障碍消除了震惊。然而，来自第三组的人没有试图摆脱冲击。由于他们以前的经验，他们制定了一种认知期望，他们所做的没有任何东西会阻止或消除冲击。

Learned Helplessness in Humans

The impact of learned helplessness has been demonstrated in different animal species, but its effects can also be seen in people.

Consider one often-used example: A child who performs poorly on math tests and assignments will quickly begin to feel that nothing he does will have any effect on his math performance. When later faced with any type of math-related task, he may experience a sense of helplessness.

For example, a woman who feels shy in social situations may eventually begin to feel that there is nothing she can do to overcome her symptoms. This sense that her symptoms are out of her direct control may lead her to stop trying to engage herself in social situations, thus making her shyness even more pronounced.

Researchers have found, however, that learned helplessness does not always generalize across all settings and situations.

经历过多功能学习的学生对数学课程的无助性将不一定在面对现实世界中的计算时经历同样的无助。在其他情况下，人们可能会经历学习的无助，以跨各种情况概括。

Learned Helplessness in Children

学会无助往往是童年，不可靠或无响应的照顾者可以促进这些感受。这是学习的无助性可以在生活中很早开始。例如，在制度化的环境中提出的儿童，即使在婴儿期间通常也表现出无助的症状。

When children need help but no one comes to their aid, they may be left feeling that nothing they do will change their situation. Repeated experiences that bolster these feelings of helplessness and hopelessness can result in growing into adulthood ultimately feeling that there is nothing one can do to change his or her problems.

Some common symptoms of learned helplessness in children include:

• Failure to ask for help
• 挫折
• Giving up
• Lack of effort
• 低的self-esteem
• Passivity
• Poor motivation
• 拖延

学习无助的也可能导致焦虑，抑郁或两者。当孩子们觉得他们没有控制他们生活的过去的事件时，他们获得了期望，即未来的事件就是无法控制的。因为他们认为他们所做的任何事情都不会改变活动的结果，孩子们往往留下他们甚至不打算尝试。

学术斗争往往会导致学习无助的感受。一个努力做得很好但仍然仍然确实的孩子可能最终感觉到他没有控制他的成绩或表现。

Since nothing he does seems to make any difference, he will stop trying and his grades will suffer even more. Such problems can also affect other areas of the child's life. His poor performance in school can make him feel that nothing he does is right or useful, so he may lose the motivation to try in other areas of his life as well.

学会了无助和心理健康万博手机客户端

学会无助被认为有助于焦虑的感觉，可能影响广泛性焦虑症（GAD）等病症的发病，严重程度和持续性。

当你体验慢性焦虑时，你最终可能放弃了寻找救济，因为你焦虑的感觉似乎是不可避免的和无法治疗的。因此，正在经历焦虑或抑郁等心理健康问题的人可以拒绝可能有助于缓解症状的药物或治疗。万博手机客户端

随着人们年龄的学习，无助的人可能会成为恶性循环的东西。在遇到焦虑或抑郁等问题时，人们可能会觉得没有任何东西可以做任何事情来缓解这些感受。然后人们未能寻找可能有助于帮助的选择，从而有助于更大的无助和焦虑感。

解释性款式的作用

So what explains why some people develop learned helplessness and others do not? Why is it specific to some situations but more global in others?

许多研究人员认为归属或解释性风格在确定人们受到学会无助的影响时发挥作用。此观点表明，个人的阐释事件的特征风格有助于确定他们是否会培养学会无助。

悲观的解释性风格与体验学会无助的可能性有关。具有这种解释性风格的人倾向于将负面事件视为不可避免和不可避免的人，并且倾向于对这种负面事件负有个人责任。

Overcoming Learned Helplessness

那么人们可以做些什么来克服学会了无助？研究表明，学习的无助性可以成功降低，特别是如果在早期发作期间发生干预。虽然可能需要长期努力，但也可以减少长期学习的无助性。

治疗可以有效减少学习无助的症状。例如，在一项研究中，要求一些参与者试图填写一个无法解决的任务。

Those who received a therapeutic intervention after failing at the task were more likely to try again and successfully complete a follow-up task. Those who did not receive an intervention were more likely to experience learned helplessness and give up.

那么人们可以做些什么来克服学会了无助？认知行为治疗is a form of psychotherapy that can be beneficial in overcoming the thinking and behavioral patterns that contribute to learned helplessness.

CBT的目标是帮助患者确定有助于学习无助的感受的负面思想模式，然后用更加乐观和理性的思想取代这些想法。这个过程往往涉及仔细分析你在想什么，积极挑战这些想法，并争议消极的思想模式。

来自粗糙的一个词

学到的无助性可能对心理健康和幸福具有深远的影响。万博手机客户端经历学到无助的人也可能会遇到症状depression压力水平升高，较少动机照顾他们的身体健康。

不是每个人都以同样的方式回应经验。在不可控制的事件面前，有些人更有可能经历学到的无助，往往是由于生物学和心理因素。例如，无助的父母抚养的儿童也更有可能经历学到的无助性。

如果您觉得学习的无助性可能对您的生活和健康产生负面影响，请考虑与您的医生交谈，您可以采取的步骤来解决这种类型的思维。

进一步的评估可导致准确的诊断和治疗，可以帮助您用更积极的思想模式取代您的负面思维模式。这种治疗可能让您用一种感觉代替学习无助的感受学习乐观反而。