Learned helplessness, mojo and serenity
“Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got.” Janis Joplin
One form of compromise is learned helplessness - an emotional and behavioral response in which a human being (or other animal) has learned to “give up” or act as if they are helpless, and loses motivation to act in their own best interest in a situation, even when they may really have the power to change that circumstance - or at least their reactions to it.
“Clinical depression and related mental illnesses result from a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a situation.” - Martin Seligman, in 1975.
Psychologist and writer Martin Seligman is well known for his work on this idea of “learned helplessness” earlier in his career, but more recently he has become a leader in the field of Positive Psychology, and is author of the book Authentic Happiness.
The ability to pursue the best life for ourselves, the highest levels of excellence and achievement we want, includes feeling energized and motivated. Plenty of mojo. Helplessness is not inevitable. Many people are resilient and thrive. But it is not a simple matter of willful optimism; we need to be aware of the social conditions and our often hidden reactions that can lead to feeling helpless.
Continued in my article Learned helplessness, mojo and serenity.
- On changing your thinking for the better
- What is being happy?
- Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, exceptional abilities
- Deepak Chopra on healthy longevity
- The science of feeling good
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