When experience with uncontrollable events gives rise to the expectation that events in the future will also elude control, disruptions in motivation, emotion, and learning may ensue. "Learned helplessness" refers to the problems that arise in the wake of uncontrollability. First described in the 1960s among laboratory animals, learned helplessness has since been applied to a variety of human problems entailing inappropriate passivity and demoralization. While learned helplessness is best known as an explanation of depression, studies with both people and animals have mapped out the cognitive and biological aspects. The present volume, written by some of the most widely recognized leaders in the field, summarizes and integrates the theory, research, and application of learned helplessness. Each line of work is evaluated critically in terms of what is and is not known, and future directions are sketched. More generally, psychiatrists and psychologists in various specialties
will be interested in the book's argument that a theory emphasizing personal control is of particular interest in the here and now, as individuality and control are such salient cultural topics.
Industry Reviews
"The applications of the theory [of learned helplessness] to current issues (including depression, academic achievement, and physical well-being) are exciting, thought-provoking, and highly relevant." --Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health
"One of the fascinations of the book comes from the way in which it integrates many fields of psychology. . .It will also be of considerable interest to methodologists and historians. . ." --Journal of Psychology and Christianity
"Peterson et al. present a thorough overview of learned helplessness with a detailed explanation of the development and current state of the phenomenon. This is a fascinating history of a central concept in psychology and a major research program . . . . They also provide a fascinating glimpse of the growing body of research bridging social-personality research and applications in clinical and health psychology."--Contemporary Psychology
"The applications of the theory [of learned helplessness] to current issues (including depression, academic achievement, and physical well-being) are exciting, thought-provoking, and highly relevant." --Readings: A Journal of Reviews and Commentary in Mental Health