Running head: Martin Seligman's Theory of Learned Helplessness
Martin Seligmans Theory of Learned Helplessness SYLVIA CHAN B1201680 DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY PSY 111 Mr Alex Jeremy Lims
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Being perpetually exposed to physical and mental mistreatment at the age of a juvenile certainly had carved a deep scar in Sandras mind. Having to be put into such situation where an authority who is Sandras closest family that is greatly trusted by his daughter abuses both her body and her mind, it is to no surprise that Sandra eventually fall into the misery of learned helplessness. Carol E. Hooker (1976) had defined learned helplessness as the false belief a person has, assuming the absence of their own control towards the end result of similar events in life based on past experience. Ultimately, these terrifying acts such as locking her in the closet, sneaking into her room and lying to her telling her that monsters hides under her bed by Sandras father certainly stands as the foremost contributor of Sandras learned helplessness. As a child, her fathers irrational behavior towards Sandra made no sense to her, fathers should be a someone giving her love and care but instead of love and care all she received was being frighten, terrorized and physically wounded; being the young kid she was, she did not know what to do nor did she received any help from others. In this case, her traumatic experience initially occurred under conditions that are out of her control, learned helplessness was developed due to her realization that her responses served no use in changing the outcome of the event (Hooker, 1976). Through this incident, Sharons encounter will demotivate her attempt to alter the outcome if similar events were to occur again. In the article Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Battered Women: The Mediating Role of Learned Helplessness, it was mentioned that studies had shown a correlation between attributions such as recurrent violence, internal attribution style (Dutton et al. 1994) and external locus of control (Noon 1995) and feeling mental discomforts by maltreated woman (Bargai, N., Ben-Shakhar, G., & Shalev, A., 2007). This attributions are common learned helplessness attributions, hence the studies underlines that learned helplessness is a very general and foreseeable response of maltreated woman like Sharon. Sharons learned helplessness condition was later on
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strengthen because of the continuous occurring of similar event of being abused by her father and not being helped or stopped by anyone. Growing up with a great sense of fear towards her very own father definitely did not help to put Sharons learned helplessness in extinction, it only will aided in remembering her own feelings of lost and alone with no help. In the later stage of Sharons life, she met her husband, Randy over a friends wedding. Sharon grew up with nothing but fear for her father, Randys charm and care easily won over Sharons heart as Sharon was raised without feeling warmth and loved by her father during the early stages of her life, hence when Randy, another male treated her differently, showered her with compliments and attention, certainly Sharon would develop positive feelings towards him. A series of changes in the way Randy treated Sharon after their marriage would be said as the major reason of the revival of her learned helplessness condition. Over the years passing through different stages of life up till being adulthood, Sharons learned helplessness towards being abused stands a possibility of fading as learned helplessness only occur when one is being exposed to same event repeatedly with the same outcome. While in the case, it was not mentioned if Sharon was still being abused by her dad later on in her life. Thus, it is possible that her helplessness condition has been faded. When Randy starts abusing her in various ways, physically, mentally or sexually, it triggers her repressed memory of her miserable and frightening childhood experience reminding her of her helplessness. Once Sharons helplessness condition is being revived, Sharon will only be reluctant to try to make a change as her past experience has taught her that her reactions will do not change in the outcome of her current situation. The interference effect of learned helplessness, the perception of the independence between Sharons response and the result of the event in a condition that is uncontrollable causes Sharon to not recognize the connections between her response and the result when she is in a situation where all the conditions are under control (Hooker, 1976).This supports the explanation on why Sharon gave up on trying
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fighting for a different end result even when she clearly has the capability and opportunity. According to Aguilar and Nightingale (1994): Ball and Wyman (1977-1978); Walker (1996), maltreated woman who developed learned helplessness are more likely to obey and is more unwilling to leave an abusive relationship (Bargai, N., Ben-Shakhar, G., & Shalev, A., 2007).). Sharons pre-existing learned helplessness condition already plays a major role in encouraging her to not react or respond towards the situation, additionally negative factors such as being financially dependent and low chances in getting a proper job furthers discourage her to leave Randy despite being emotionally, physically and mentally hurt by him. To further highlight her condition and why Sharon still puts up with Randy, she had several attempts of trying to defend herself yet her actions had only brought more negative consequences towards herself. In this scenario, Sharon will eventually believe that her responds will not be able to change anything but only brings much worst to herself and once Sharons mind is convinced by this thought, her sense of learned helplessness will only be stronger than before. This explains clearly why that Sharons behaviour of not going away from Randy is.
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Reference Bargai, N., Ben-Shakhar, G., & Shalev, A. (2007). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Battered Women: The Mediating Role of Learned Helplessness. Journal Of Family Violence, 22(5), 267-275. doi:10.1007/s10896-007-9078-y Hooker , C. E. (1976). Learned Helplessness. Social Work, 2, 194-196.
