Learned Optimism
I’m going to tell you about a psychological theory call Learned Optimism and its opposite Learned Helplessness.
I’m going to tell you about a psychological theory call Learned Optimism and its opposite Learned Helplessness.
These two outlooks have a massive impact on your life, so let’s have a look a both and see why they are so important to understand.
**Let’s start with learned helplessness. **
Martin Seligman is a psychologist and in 1967, he conducted research about learned helplessness as an extension of his interest into depression.
Learned helplessness is the behaviour of a subject after experiencing repeated adverse events beyond their control.
Seligman’s experiments involved three groups of dogs that was conducted in two parts.
In part one of the experiment, the first group of dogs were put into a harness for a period of time and then released.
The second and third group of dogs were set up to get electric shocks at random times.
Both these groups had a lever that could be depressed, and when the group two dogs depressed the lever, it ended the shocks for both groups.
The lever for the group three dogs did not stop the shocks, so despite depressing the lever, it seemed that the shocks ended at random.
For the group 3 dogs, the shock was perceived as “inescapable” as it was beyond their control.
Now, in part two of the experiment, the same three groups of dogs were tested in a chamber with two compartments divided by a barrier that was only a few centimetres high.
All dogs were then given electric shocks, and all of the dogs could escape the shocks by jumping over the barrier to the other side.
The dogs from group 1 and 2 quickly learned this and jumped the barrier to escape the shocks.
However, most of the group 3 dogs, previously conditioned to have no control, simply lay down passively and whined when they were shocked.
**Learned helplessness affects humans as well. **
This can be seen in a demonstration by Dr. Charrise Nixon with students and a task to solve word puzzles.
The students were divided into two groups and were given three words to solve, but the words were different for the two groups.
The first group had three solvable words.
The second group also had three words, but the first two unsolvable and the third, the same solvable word as group one.
In the task, the first group quickly solved their words, whilst the second group experienced adversity with their first two unsolvable words.
Like the dogs that did not try to escape the shocks, most of the students in the second group did not try to solve the third word even though it was the solvable.
These subjects accepted learned helplessness and gave up, even though success was possible.
Now let’s look at learned optimism.
Seligman went on to write the book “Learned Optimism - How to change your mind and your life”.
The core premise of learned optimism is that we can change our attitude and behaviours by recognising and challenging our negative self talk.
The benefits of Learned Optimism include better health, improved performance and career success.
So how do you learn to be optimistic?
In Learned Optimism, Seligman recommends the ABC technique, where (A) - Adversity or external events, causes (B) - Beliefs which in turn leads to (C) - Consequences, which can be experienced as emotions and behaviours.
The Learned optimism aspect of the ABC model is that external events, DO NOT cause the consequences, but it’s the beliefs, specifically irrational beliefs that do.
So, when you experience the external event, instead of letting irrational beliefs take control and lead you to unhealthy consequences, recognise that this is happening and use rational beliefs to lead you to positive consequences.
The key to the ABC model is that you don’t need to change your environment, but rather recognise and change your reaction to the environment.
Life is going to happen, and your success or failure, depends on how you deal with it.
When something happens, know that you are in control and can do something about it.
And importantly, don’t lay down passively and whine.
Your past does not control your future, so be self aware and make the choice to follow the path to learned optimism and not the path to learned helplessness.
Choose learned optimism to challenge your beliefs and achieve success.
Image credit:
Photo by Anoir Chafik on Unsplash