On Learned Helplessness: One is only... - Mental Health Sup...

Mental Health Support

31,539 members17,214 posts

On Learned Helplessness

StressBuster profile image
1 Reply

One is only helpless (unable to defend oneself or act without help) when one lacks abilities, skills and a fair and equal environment.

Critical thinking skills and an ability to acknowledge a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection will maintain a solid mental state. An ability to make clear, reasoned judgements.

On the flip side, a negative parenting environment, lack of education, limited opportunities, limited rewards… Combined with rationalizing (justification or false beliefs)—will ruin you utterly—leave you “helpless” to varying degrees.

The opposite of helplessness is:

Ability, aptitude, capability, capacity, cleverness, competency, dexterity, efficacy, efficiency, energy, expertness, faculty, force, might, power, qualification, readiness, skills, strength, susceptibility, talent

Written by
StressBuster profile image
StressBuster
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
1 Reply
darkshadow profile image
darkshadow

I agree up to a point but that's not the whole story. Our emotional makeup is what plays such a large part in our feelings of helplessness. We derive our tendencies in that regard from various sources but, I believe, mostly from our genes, from heredity. Experiences --positive or negative-- also affect how we react to what is going on in our lives. It is very far from being a simple matter of the qualities you mention in your post. A seemingly strong person with good education,opportunities, skills, aptitudes etc, etc can be reduced to a quivering wreck by one catastrophic event.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

2 Decades on.

Thoughts are today with all those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families and friends and...

Mental health in the rest of the world

Hi everyone, I am new to this community and wow! you guys have quite the following and...

A reason to live.

I'm a fairly, bright, intelligent, articulate man. But seriously there is no reason for my...

Widening Inequality Is Good...

...and other lies we're told. Equality—not Xanax—is always going to heal anything and give the...

Suffering From A Perceived Absence of Control

I suffer from a sense of powerlessness, arising from multiple stressful events (i.e. growing up...