Psychological Explanations 2 - Learned Helplessness AO1 Flashcards
Who developed this explanation?
Seligman (1975)
When might depression be learned?
When a person tries but fails to control unpleasant experiences.
What happens as a result of an individual not being able to control unpleasant experiences?
As a result they acquire a sense of being unable to exercise control over their life, and so become depressed.
What does this learned helplessness do?
It impairs their performance in situations that can be controlled.
A characteristic of many depressives who fail to initiate coping strategies in the face of stress.
What did Seligman also discover about the way that depressed people thought about unpleasant events?
Depressed people thought about unpleasant events in more pessimistic ways than non-depressed people.
Who do depressed people tend to hold responsible for unpleasant events?
They tend to hold themselves responsible.
