How is environmental depression related to learned helplessness?

Learned helplessness contributes to an environmental depression. Conditioning yourself to settle down when feeling incapable of doing something can actually affect you in a way that exterior factors deteriorate and cause a depression. For example, when you give up on cancer, you are actually surrendering to death. Knowing that you will die soon can most likely make you depressive. In this example, learned helplessness acts when you give up on cancer maybe because you don't want to struggle through the treatment or because you have no faith that you are going to survive, and so, you are giving up on life. If you know that you are near your death, the you began to feel sad, fearful, and then you start developing depression. It is hard to simulate the law of life and mortality.

Environmental depression is one of the most common cases of depression. Many of us are open to the influence of external factors in our thoughts and feelings. Learned helplessness is something that many of us deal with at some point of our lives. Some people can say that learned helplessness is a mediocre term, in which people's mind vanish them from persevering in different scenarios in life. School is a place in which learned helplessness manifests often in teenagers. Stress with grades can cause many students to "give up" although they hate seeing their bad grades but they reach a point when they feel incapable. These grades bring problems with their conscience and with their families. Bad grades can cause depression. In fact, school is one of the things that elicits depression the most in teenagers.

Learned helplessness goes against personal achievement. We are always working hard to get satisfaction with our actions. This is why perseverance is one of the most powerful weapons in life. Everyone deserves to try and to succeed if they work hard. Conditioning yourself to accept mediocrity will always keep you feeling inferior and choked. My grandfather for example, has cancer, however, he doesn't know. The doctor says that my grandfather should be much more deteriorated and vulnerable by this time but he is still strong. He doesn't think he is going to die and so he lives with no preoccupation. We believe that if he knows the truth, he is going to feel sad and depressed, and that his tranquility will be threatened. The truth will automatically make him depressive and this can unfortunately make his disease worsen.

It is important to learn how to balance things in life and to stay open minded with our capabilities. We should not perish if there is a possibility to prevail.

“Learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do doesn't matter.”-Arnold Schwarzenegger

"A much more pernicious loss of choice and control is brought about by repeated failure. After a number of experiences in which our efforts are futile, many of us will give up." -Ellen Langer

Applying Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is commonly applied to circus animals. Particularly, elephants are a great example of application of learned helplessness.



When they are little, elephants are tied with a chain in order for them to remain steady. This is done in circuses because elephants learn to remain calm over time. This is an example of learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness can develop in people with deseases. AIDS is a common case of learned helplessness. Indeed, it is a disease that cannot be cured, however, it can be treated in order for people to live with it. Many people infected with AIDS loose their will to live and find themselves incapable of learning to live with it.