Learned helplessness and depression: strategies for coping with them
Updated: 21 hours ago
At the turn of the 21st century, some interesting research was published on what many people would probably consider a grim fact about life on Earth (all Life, not just human life): resources flow to those who succeed and away from those who fail.
“I tell you, everyone who has will be given more; but whoever does not have will be taken away, even what he has.”
This is the phenomenon of learned helplessness, and this principle applies to bacterial colonies, human beings, and everything in between. And while this law of nature seems cruel to the individual, when viewed from a holistic perspective, it is nonetheless a powerful and positive survival mechanism.
In this article, let's examine how it impacts your ability to achieve a happy, fulfilled life. And if you're stuck on the wrong side of this law of nature, understanding the mechanism of feeling powerless can help you quickly reverse the negative trend.
How does learned helplessness work?
One of the simplest examples of this law in action is the behavior of bacterial colonies. Surprisingly, bacteria employ quite sophisticated communication methods. One of these involves attracting or rejecting chemical signals that are important to the colony.
As long as bacteria exist in an environment rich in food, they multiply and replicate like… well, like bacteria. However, when resources run low, the colony sends out scouts in search of new ones. Not all are successful, however. Some end up in the bacterial equivalent of a desert, while others find a veritable oasis of food. Those stranded in the desert emit chemical signals that sound something like “avoid me.” This prevents further resources from being wasted on the desert expedition.
If the chosen scouts land on a food oasis, they begin emitting chemical signals saying “FOOD!” As a result, the remaining bacteria begin to sprint in that direction.
In other words, resources are withdrawn from areas of failure and redeployed to areas of success. This is how the Law of Learned Helplessness operates in living organisms.
The same mechanism operates in all living systems. Those who succeed attract others. Those who fail attract failure, or at least push away successful resources. Obviously, you want to be among the winners, right? If you're among the winners, more of what you need comes closer to you.
So let's look at a few more examples to show how this law of nature works.
All living systems have a built-in self-destruct mechanism that withdraws resources from areas of failure and transfers them to areas of success.
Martin Sellingman and Steven F. Maier - experiment on dogs.
In 1967, Martin Seligman and Steven F. Maier conducted a classic experiment on dogs in which they divided them into three groups:
Group one (control): Dogs were placed in a harness, not electrocuted, and were released after some time.
Group two: Dogs were placed in harnesses and given painful but harmless electric shocks. However, they could terminate the shock by pressing a special panel with their muzzle.
Group three: The dogs were also placed in a harness and given an electric shock, but unlike group two, they had no way to stop the shock (the panel did not work).
In the next stage, all dogs were placed in a cage where they could easily escape the current by jumping over a low barrier. Dogs from groups one and two quickly learned how to escape. Dogs from group three, on the other hand, lay on the floor and passively endured the suffering, making no attempt to escape, even though the path was open. They learned that their actions had no impact on the situation.
Similar experiments have been repeated many times on various groups of animals and ultimately humans. However, it should be emphasized that contemporary research ethics are highly critical of this type of experimentation based on inflicting pain on living creatures.
Experiment on rats in a maze.
In another famous experiment from 1975, rats were placed in a maze and given electric shocks without the ability to escape . Some rats had access to a button that stopped the shocks—not just for the individual who pressed it, but for all the subjects. Those who discovered the button's existence immediately used it to avoid pain.
Those rats that never discovered the button's existence and therefore had no control over the situation eventually gave up. They did nothing to avoid the electric shock and passively endured the suffering. Despite receiving exactly the same number of shocks as the discoverers, they became physical wrecks. Their hair fell out, they developed stomach ulcers, and they lost weight.
The button discoverers remained in relatively good shape. The loser rats succumbed to their own self-destructive mechanisms. They were poisoned by stress hormones. Their immune systems collapsed. Their reflexes atrophied. When an escape route was made available to them, they were too lost or too weak to use it.
Prison experiment on humans.
The phenomenon of learned helplessness is also associated with the famous prison experiment conducted under Professor Philip Zimbardo's direction in 1971.
In each case, individuals who failed entered a state of helplessness and resignation, which resulted in both external and internal resources being cut off. Ultimately, they gave up.
On the other hand, those who won — or more precisely, those who mastered the situation they found themselves in — obtained what they needed for health and prosperity. In essence, the rich became richer, and the poor became poorer…
What was Sapolsky's experiment?
Robert Sapolsky, a renowned professor at Stanford University, based on his 30-year research, which began in 1978, discovered, among other things, that wild baboons living at the lower levels of the troop hierarchy produce massive amounts of hormonal toxins that kill brain cells, resulting in a weakened immune system, hair loss, and the development of chronic illnesses. This, of course, further reduces the importance of these individuals in the troop.
On the other hand, those individuals who are highest in the hierarchy produce more chemicals that positively impact health and well-being. As a result, these individuals have better food, better living spaces, and even better sexual partners.
What is the relationship between helplessness and depression? Zuckerman's research.
Meanwhile, Marvin Zuckerman found that hospitalized patients diagnosed with depression —who ultimately needed the most care — were least likely to attract the compassionate attention of caregivers. Their complaints, anger, body language, facial expressions, and other behaviors actually repelled those who could offer them help and support.
Conversely, those patients who remain cheerful in the face of a terrible illness attract better care, food, and friends. Nurses and doctors treat them with sympathy.
It has long been known that every cell possesses a self- destruct mechanism called apoptosis, through which the body gets rid of unwanted, unnecessary, or malfunctioning cells. All organisms (including humans) possess this mechanism and activate it when it is no longer useful to the larger community.
A similar mechanism essentially operates at every level of life. The human body, for example, contains millions of different antibodies. Resources flow rapidly to those antibodies that successfully cope with intruders, and are cut off from those that either lack the appropriate weapons or are unable to cope with their opponents. Winners multiply at an unimaginable rate; losers are cut off from food.
Learned helplessness and competition for resources.
We therefore encounter competition for resources at all levels of living systems, including animal and human societies. Every system has a built-in mechanism —fair or unfair—by which the resources of a given group are automatically reallocated to the most successful individuals.
Moreover, individuals who conclude that they are failing trigger an internal mechanism and reduce their resources (e.g., the secretion of hormones that positively affect health and well-being).
This state is called “ learned helplessness.”
When people (or animals) are able to solve a problem, they not only overcome it but also thrive in other areas.
On the other hand, those who can't cope:
feel a lack of control or motivation,
activate the self-destructive mechanism (which can operate at a mental, emotional, hormonal, or neurochemical level),
they start sending signals to their community to withdraw resources.
This phenomenon works so cruelly.
Learned helplessness: definition.
Ultimately, Martin Seligman popularized the term "learned helplessness" in psychology in the 1970s.
According to him, this term meant "Consolidation of beliefs about the lack of a cause-and-effect relationship between one's own action (reaction) and its consequences (reinforcement)."
The modern definition of psychology says that:
Learned helplessness is a psychological state in which a person believes they have no control over their actions and their outcomes, which leads to a lack of motivation to take action.
Now let's see what could be the reason for this feeling of helplessness in people.
What can lead to learned helplessness?
Feelings of helplessness can have a variety of causes, including trauma, long-term stress, toxic relationships, negative childhood experiences, and specific adult situations, such as long-term unemployment. Generally, repeated experiences in which a person lacks control over the events' outcome are a key factor leading to this state.
Example: If children need help but no one is willing to help, they may feel that nothing they do will change their situation. Growing up in a cold, demanding environment can reinforce low self-esteem.
Such experiences reinforce feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. This can cause children to grow up feeling they can't do anything to solve their problems.
Victim syndrome and the cycle of violence.
A particularly dramatic example of learned helplessness is the situation of victims of domestic violence. Researcher Leonora E. Walker described the so-called cycle of violence, which consists of four phases:
Tension building.
Acute incident of violence.
Honeymoon (reconciliation).
Calm phase.
The repetitive nature of this cycle and the unpredictability of the perpetrator's behavior lead the victim to lose faith in the possibility of escape or change. They learn helplessness, which explains why so many people remain in toxic and life-threatening relationships without seeking outside help.
The most important element in breaking the toxic cycle is external support. In extreme situations, contact the domestic violence support line as soon as possible: 800 12 00 02, and in situations of immediate threat to life or health, call the emergency number 112.
Unfortunately, people quickly learn to feel helpless. Moreover, this can lead them to believe that this feeling of lack of control will continue to haunt them in the future.
Helplessness can be "contagious" from those closest to you. Therefore, the phenomenon also takes on a sociological dimension.
Why doesn't everyone learn helplessness? Attribution style.
In 1978, the theory of learned helplessness was reformulated to explain why some people are more susceptible to it. The key turned out to be the so-called attribution style (the way we explain the causes of events to ourselves). It encompasses three dimensions:
Internal vs. External (Do I blame myself or the circumstances?)
Permanent vs. Fluctuating (Will the problem last forever or is it temporary?)
Global vs. Specific (Does the problem affect my entire life or just this one situation?)
People with a pessimistic attribution style explain failures as internal, permanent, and global, which directly paves the way to learned helplessness and depression.
Analyzing limiting beliefs through the lens of these three dimensions is a very effective way to challenge and eliminate them. I've encountered this often in my coaching practice.
Examples from everyday life.
To better understand this, imagine losing your job . A person susceptible to learned helplessness will think, "I'm hopeless" (internal), "I'll never find a good job" (permanent), "I'm no good at anything" (global).
On the other hand, a person resistant to this state will think: "The company had financial problems" (external), "This time it didn't work out for me, but I'll find something eventually" (variable), "I didn't do well in this particular position, but I have other skills" (specific).
If you have recently experienced a painful failure, analyze your thoughts from these three perspectives.
What is brain neuroplasticity?
Is feeling helpless a hopeless situation? Once you find yourself on a downward spiral, are you doomed forever? This would be the case if you didn't have the power to consciously and intentionally change your behavior.
The new and growing field of neuroplasticity research suggests that you can change your internal processes and how you cope with your current situation. And change direction early enough to avoid falling into an irreversible cycle and overcome the effects of learned helplessness.
Discoveries about brain neuroplasticity.
When you practice any activity, including thinking about yourself in a new way, your brain devotes more resources to that function and your skills improve.
The relatively recently proven plasticity of the brain (see: Where are the limits of our brain's capabilities?) means, among other things, that it is not inevitable to sink into a series of failures once you have entered this unfavorable path.
You can break this self-destructive spiral and change this situation . You are not condemned to learned helplessness.
When resources begin to flow in a certain direction—either towards you or away from you — they tend to maintain that direction. In fact, the flow increases over time. Your task, therefore, is to place yourself on the right side of this flow — on the side of those experiencing well-being.
It must also be admitted honestly that if you are on the wrong side now, you will have to overcome an initial barrier of momentum to reverse the trend and "drag yourself" to the favorable side of this equation.
What are effective methods for dealing with helplessness?
There are effective methods for dealing with learned helplessness. Although it's fair to say that the deeper you get into self-destructive mode, the harder it will be to break out of it — at least initially .
The most important of them include:
Psychotherapy.
Learned optimism.
Independent observation of your thoughts.
Meditation.
Let's take a look at each of them now.
Psychotherapeutic support.
Psychology has confirmed that learned helplessness can have a serious impact on mental health. Its consequences are associated with a number of negative psychological phenomena, which are technically referred to as deficits.
This includes cognitive deficits (e.g., decreased ability to think logically), motivational deficits (e.g., lack of motivation to act — any kind of action), and emotional deficits (e.g., anxiety, apathy). Sufferers may also experience symptoms of depression.
In the social sphere, people affected by helplessness may refrain from establishing new contacts or maintaining existing ones. This can lead to feelings of separation and isolation, which in turn deepen the symptoms of depression.
Moreover, like a virus, helplessness easily spreads to other areas of life. A deepening mental state can, for example, lead to neglect of physical fitness.
Therefore, professional psychological help is essential for anyone struggling with this phenomenon. A good therapist can help identify the source of the syndrome. They will also teach you how to recognize toxic thought patterns and replace them with constructive ones, and provide support in coping with difficult emotions.
Based on their research, Steven Maier and Martin Seligman have developed a framework for understanding and treating both depression and helplessness. In short, it involves providing emotional support and focusing on the positive aspects of oneself and the situation.
In this context, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be the most effective. It utilizes specific techniques such as assertiveness training and cognitive restructuring.
One of the most powerful tools is the ABCDE method, developed by Albert Ellis and adapted by Seligman:
A (Adversity) – identifying a difficult event.
B (Belief) – capturing an automatic belief about it.
C (Consequence) – noticing the emotional consequences of this belief.
D (Disputation) – questioning and discussion of negative conviction.
E (Energization) – activation and change of behavior after changing thinking.
A careful coach can identify the right moment to implement this method in conversations with clients. The most difficult step is D (Disputation), and it often requires several sessions to successfully progress.
It is also worth noting that Byron Katie's original method, "The Work", consisting of four questions, is largely similar to the ABCDE approach.
Learned optimism: an effective antidote to helplessness.
Martin Seligman, after years of research on learned helplessness, came to a groundbreaking conclusion: if helplessness can be learned, so can its opposite be.
In his famous book "Learned Optimism", first published in 1990, he proves that by consciously working on changing our attribution style (the way we explain failures to ourselves), we can develop the habit of optimistic thinking.
Optimism is not treated here as naive positive thinking (see the Pollyanna effect), but as a learned ability to challenge limiting beliefs.
This skill can be learned through coaching, and the client benefits twofold. Not only do they remove unfounded, limiting beliefs, but they also gain a tool they can use independently. For me, this is one of the best practical examples demonstrating the value of coaching.
The third method is to observe the internal thought process.
It is your internal thought process that determines how you feel, how you behave, what and who you attract in your life, and what meanings you attribute to individual events.
Winners—those to whom resources flow — feel differently than losers. Their unconscious internal processes are much more likely to generate pleasant and empowering emotions. Because your behavior is largely a result of your internal state (which, in addition to feelings, also includes elements such as courage, persistence, faith, and enthusiasm), winners also behave differently.
And again, the internal processes of winners motivate them to act in even more successful ways. The external achievements generated by these processes and external behaviors are cumulative.
As a result, the brain secretes more supportive substances, increases self-confidence, strengthens positive beliefs, and develops the ability to recognize opportunities in life. All of this makes each success of a similar scale more easily achieved than the last.
Such individuals also begin to attract the resources and help of others. They often notice themselves being drawn almost magnetically to unusually favorable circumstances or to various people who are friendly to them. As a result, their way of interpreting events (including their understanding of failure and error) also becomes completely different.
Meditation.
Meditation allows you to expand your consciousness, which is one of the keys to success in the entire process.
Why?
Because expanded awareness allows you to see HOW you're unconsciously sabotaging yourself. Furthermore, reducing your brain to alpha waves stimulates it to produce the same neurochemicals and hormones that abound in the brains of successful individuals.
These "feel-good" chemicals are a huge part of why successful people achieve their goals with relative ease. Their increased production is also crucial to getting started and overcoming the barrier of negative momentum heading in the wrong direction.
How to get what you want from life?
Understanding the mechanism of learned helplessness leads to the answer to one of the most fundamental questions: "How do you get what you want from life?"
For every result you desire, there is a specific way of thinking and acting that will lead to that result.
So you have to discover this method and be willing to apply it. Mindfulness techniques can be very helpful in this regard.
By "a certain way of thinking," I'm referring primarily to what's going on inside your head. If you can instill the right internal process that generates a specific internal result (and you can learn this from those who have already achieved what you desire), external actions will emerge naturally and bring about specific results.
If random events beyond your control occasionally throw things into disarray (and they inevitably will), these internal processes will help you discover the opportunity in what has happened. And while the final outcome will be delayed, it will eventually happen.
As I mentioned at the beginning, encountering obstacles and overcoming them actually only increases your ability to succeed – another aspect of how the rich get richer.
📌 Summary: How to counteract helplessness and take care of your mental health?
The key to achieving a state of agency is awareness.
What you are unaware of controls you. What you are aware of is within your control, and therefore you can make choices.
As long as your internal processes are unconscious, the negative downward spiral will continue and can lead to learned helplessness. So, I'll reiterate two key elements for coping with this state. They include:
Utilizing the body's positive neurochemicals.
Learning how to consciously control your thought processes.
Interestingly, the internal processes of successful people operate automatically. They are simply wired in a positive way. They likely received a lot of support and love in childhood, met wise mentors, and perhaps even possess superior genetic makeup.
But whether your thoughts lead you towards success or failure, you can learn to control them.
Ironically, being in a self-destructive and stagnant mode can be a powerful motivator to start the process of consciously controlling your internal processes and changing your situation. Without this inspiring disappointment, you might never have reached your depths and, paradoxically, might have continued to live only a mediocre, unconscious life.
Consciousness and intentional control of thought processes are a modern version of the skills possessed by, for example, Tibetan monks, which have recently been the subject of detailed research by scientists in the Western world.
Addendum: Monk skills are not magic.
Rather, these skills are the result of reaching a level of consciousness that few have achieved so far. Getting there takes persistence and work. But because you're discovering how YOU create your life experience, the journey can be incredibly fascinating. And the result—reclaiming control over your life and finding the light side—is worth the effort.
The moment you notice — through experience—the malleability of reality, when you realize that YOU create the reality you live in, you will begin to realize that what you previously thought was reality — in fact, isn't! You are it. In this way, you will regain a sense of control over your life.
Sources:
Text based on materials by Bill Harris, the late founder and owner of Centerpointe Research Institute.
Depression: Causes and treatment. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Martin Seligman, Helplessness: On Depression, Development, and Death. San Francisco: WH.
If you would like to learn more, see also:
The human body's largest organ: interesting facts about human skin.
Mindfulness meditation.
Biological theory of WBE: the 3/4 power rule.
A holistic approach to the human being: body, mind, heart, and soul in one.
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