New Research Directions

The concepts of helplessness and hopelessness versus control over life situations
are as old as humankind. The specific theory of learned helplessness,
however, originated with the experiments conducted by the University of
Pennsylvania in the mid-1960’s by Seligman, Steven F. Maier, and J. Bruce
Overmier. The idea that helplessness could be learned has opened the door
to many exciting new approaches to disorders formerly considered personality
or biologically oriented, such as psychosomatic disorders, victimization
by gender, depression, and impaired job effectiveness.
The idea that people actually do have an effect on their environment is of
tremendous importance to those suffering from depression. Most such people
mention a general feeling of hopelessness, which makes the journey out
of this state seem overwhelming; the feeling implies that one is powerless
over one’s reactions and behavior. Research-based evidence has shown that
people do have the power to influence their perceptions of their environment
and, therefore, change their reactions to it.
If the research on perception and learned helplessness is accurate, a logical
next step is to find out how explanatory style originates and how it can be
changed. Some suspected influences are how a child’s first major trauma is
handled, how teachers present information to be learned (as well as teachers’
attitudes toward life events), and parental influence. Perhaps the most
promising aspect of the research on learned helplessness is the idea that
what is learned can be unlearned; therefore, humans really do have choices
as to their destiny and quality of life. Considerable importance falls upon
those who have a direct influence on children, because it is they who will
shape the attitudes of the future.
Sources for Further Study
Applebee, Arthur N. The Child’s Concept of Story, Ages Two to Seventeen. Reprint.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989. An innovative approach
and eight thought-provoking chapters give this book an edge on
some of the classics in this field. The author examines the use of language
and how perceptions can be influenced by it. Demonstrates an adult’s
and child’s sense of story as well as the responses of adolescents. The author
shows how perceptions are easily manipulated by skillful use of
phrasing. There are three appendices: a collection of analysis and data,
elements of response, and a thorough supplementary table.
Bammer, Kurt, and Benjamin H. Newberry, eds. Stress and Cancer. Toronto:
Hogrefe, 1981. This edited group of independently written chapters
presents thirteen different perspectives from a variety of professionals
working in the field of cancer and stress. Well written; achieves its goal
without imposing editorial constraints. Perception of events is emphasized
as a major determinant of healing. Excellent resources.
Coopersmith, Stanley. The Antecedents of Self Esteem. 1967. Reprint. Palo Alto,
Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1981. Emphasizes the importance of limits and boundaries of permissible behavior in the development of
self-esteem. Discusses the mirror-image idea of humans emulating society
as it develops through the parent/child relationship. There are four very
helpful measuring devices in the appendix.
Peterson, Christopher, Steven F. Maier, and Martin E. P. Seligman. Learned
Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1995. Summarizes the theory and application of the theory
of learned helplessness, focusing on personal control as a tool for overcoming
the condition.
Seligman, Martin E. P. Helplessness: On Depression, Development, and Death.
1975. Reprint. New York: W. H. Freeman, 1992. This easily read and understood
book was written by the master researcher in the field of learned
helplessness. Covers such areas as anxiety and unpredictability, education’s
role in emotional development, experimental studies, and how
perception influences everyday life. Excellent references. Highly recommended
for anyone interested in the topic.
Frederic Wynn
See also: Conditioning; Depression; Learning.