Basics
This is the mental state in which someone stops trying because repeated negative experiences have led them to believe they cannot change the situation.
What is learned helplessness?
This type of learning occurs when repeated negative experiences create patterns of behavior and beliefs.
What is negative conditioned learning?
This psychologist conducted the famous experiment involving dogs that helped explain learned helplessness.
Who was Seligman?
A student fails one math test and decides, “I'm just bad at math.” This is an example of this type of belief.
What is a limiting belief?
This is the first major step toward overcoming learned helplessness: recognizing that your past experiences do not have to determine your future actions.
What is recognizing that helplessness can be unlearned?
Unlike something you are born knowing or doing, learned helplessness develops through repeated experiences.
What is learned behavior?
This is what can happen when someone repeatedly experiences failure, rejection, or situations where they feel powerless.
What is avoiding trying new things?
This year is associated with Seligman’s famous dog experiment.
What is 1965?
After repeatedly being rejected from teams, a student stops trying out because they believe they will always fail. This behavior can demonstrate this concept.
What is learned helplessness?
This is one way people can begin to unlearn helplessness and become more willing to take risks.
What is practicing?
This belief about your ability to change a situation is often connected to learned helplessness.
What is believing you have no control?
These beliefs can create a self-defeatist cycle that causes a person to think they cannot succeed.
What are limiting beliefs?
In the experiment, the dogs were conditioned to associate this sound with mild shocks.
What is a bell?
A student who believes they cannot improve may eventually stop doing this important behavior.
What is trying?
Trying new strategies instead of immediately giving up can help a person develop this.
What is motivation to try new things?
Two areas of life that can suffer when someone develops limiting beliefs and learned helplessness are these.
What are motivation and productivity?
The thought “I can’t do this, so there’s no point in trying” is an example of this type of thinking.
What is a defeatist attitude?
When the dogs were placed in an area with a low barrier, some dogs continued receiving shocks instead of doing this.
What is jumping over the barrier to escape?
Fear of this can cause someone to avoid trying new things and contribute to learned helplessness.
What are failure or rejection?
When a person changes their response to negative experiences and continues trying, they are beginning to do this.
What is deconditioning or unlearning helplessness?
Because learned helplessness is learned, this means it can also be ________.
What is unlearned?
This sequence best describes the cycle: repeated negative experiences → limiting beliefs → believing “I can’t” → ________.
What is stopping trying?
The previously unshocked dog responded differently because it had not learned that escaping was impossible.
What is jumping over the barrier to reach the safe side?
A student keeps struggling with presentations but decides to practice, ask for feedback, and try again. This behavior demonstrates the opposite of giving up.
What is taking action to overcome learned helplessness?
This is why overcoming learned helplessness is important: it can help people become more motivated to take risks and do this instead of automatically giving up.
What is try new things?