What Is Learned Helplessness?
Learned Helplessness : Breaking the Chains in Black Communities and Africa. Learned Helplessness is a psychological concept that describes a state where individuals, after enduring repeated adverse experiences over which they have no control, come to believe that they are powerless to change their circumstances. This belief persists even when opportunities for change arise, leading to passivity, resignation, and a lack of initiative. The term was coined by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in the 1960s through experiments on animals, where subjects exposed to inescapable shocks failed to escape later when escape was possible. In humans, this manifests as depression, low motivation, and a pessimistic outlook on life.In the context of marginalized groups , learned helplessness often stems from systemic oppression, historical trauma, and cultural narratives that reinforce feelings of inevitability. For black people as a collective—encompassing African Ameri...