Learned helplessness means that the person begins to believe that they are unable to control the situation and no longer searches for a way to avoid it.

The theory takes the view that clinical depression and other related mental illnesses result from a real or perceived absence of control over the factors which cause the individual pain.

The workers’ compensation system can be a breeding ground for the development of ‘learned helplessness,’ and impacts workers’ sense of control and motivation.

What is Learned Helplessness?

US psychologist Martin Seligman discovered ‘learned helplessness’ by accident while studying the relationship between fear and learning in dogs. He conducted an experiment in which dogs were conditioned to expect an electric shock after hearing a tone. Two groups of dogs were studied, one  group could escape the shocks, while the other group could not.

The animals were later placed in a shuttlebox, which contained two chambers separated by a low barrier. Only one side was electrified.. The dogs which had been conditioned to believe that nothing could be done to prevent the electric shock made no attempts to escape. The dogs from the group that had learnt that they could turn off the electric shocks in the initial experiment were easily able to work out how to escape the shocks again. 

Through their previous experience, the animals had the expectation that nothing they could do would prevent or eliminate the shocks.

Application to Humans

Following this experiment, Seligman began to see the same syndrome in people suffering from reactive depression. 

Reactive depression is the result of a reaction to clear external stress, such as the loss of a relative, lover, or being sacked from a job. Seligman theorised that people who suffer from a series of setbacks about which they can do nothing, learned that they have no control over any of the events in their lives, no matter what they do. 

They believe that things will always turn out badly in the end. As a result they give up trying, lose motivation and interest in life.

He conducted an experiment on students. They were subjected to the experience of being a room where there was a loud, discordant sound emanating from a piece of equipment. No matter what they did, they were unable to switch it off. At a later time, the same students were placed in another room and the sound began again. Even though they were able to turn off the equipment this time, they didn’t even bother to try.

Seligman theorised that the most effective way to help people suffering from depression was to show the depressive person that they could operate in their environment and be effectual. These might be simple tasks at which they can succeed and develop confidence, before moving on to more difficult tasks.

A change in thinking style

Seligman later modified his theory, incorporating a person’s thinking style as a factor in learned helplessness. He suggested that depressed people tended to use a more pessimistic explanatory style when thinking about stressful events than non-depressed people. Non-depressed people tended to be more optimistic.

When individuals view the causes of negative events as internal, global and stable, they are said to have a pessimistic attributional style. 

When the causes are viewed as external, specific and unstable, they have a more optimistic attribution all style. 

The pessimistic style increases the likelihood of developing learned helplessness. 

Further, prolonged exposure to uncontrollable and inescapable events can lead people towards developing a pessimistic attribution all style, even if they did not have the predisposition. They may become apathetic, pessimistic and unmotivated.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), endorsed by Seligman, may help people to learn more realistic explanatory styles and help ease depression, however a more effective method in RTW is to help injured workers to avoid feeling helpless in the first place.

Application in RTW

During the return to work process, workers may become overwhelmed by the claims process, interviews and appointments. 

While much depends on the thinking style of the individual, dealing with the bureaucratic needs and barriers that arise from the compensation system can contribute.  Issues might include delayed wages,  slow referrals and treatments or confusing paperwork. 

Combined, they can form a ‘toxic dose’ for injured workers, creating additional problems.

Some injured workers may begin catastrophizing about their injuries and their impact on the future. They also frequently place blame on external factors. This pessimistic way of thinking can result in the belief that there’s nothing they can do about it. 

Other workers may understand that the world isn’t against them, and that there’s nothing personal about their injury and the surrounding system. It’s just chance and circumstance, and furthermore it’s temporary. Their next question is often, what do I need to do to get myself going again? This is an empowering, optimistic outlook.

It has been found that people with pessimistic explanatory styles tend to have slower recovery rates, diminished return to work outcomes and decreased productivity. They also more than double their chance of illness or injury. The likelihood of developing secondary problems also increases.

At times, the workers’ compensation claim experience can be prolonged, overly-bureaucratic and emotionally difficult, and the power balance is not generally tilted towards the injured worker.

In RTW, the most effective method of avoiding learned helplessness is to prevent the powerlessness, and to allow injured workers a degree of self-efficacy and control over their situation. 

Support may also be useful during this time, reminding people that the current challenges are temporary. This helps them to maintain perspective and to avoid becoming vulnerable and adopting a learned helplessness mentality.

For more on Martin Seligman and Learned Helplessness and Learned Optimism:

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