Learned helplessness: expanding on a goal-directed perspective

ABSTRACT

This commentary reviews a novel model of learned helplessness proposed by Boddez et al. in this issue of Cognition and Emotion. Combining operant and goal-directed perspectives, Boddez et al. suggest that helplessness stems from a lack of reinforcement when striving toward a goal, with the degree of generalisation dependent on subjective perceptions of goal similarity. We begin by reviewing the theoretical model, describe possible expansions from a cognitive perspective, and discuss several considerations. We finish with a brief discussion of possible directions for future work.

KEYWORDS:

• Learned helplessness
• generalisation
• goal-directed
• cognition

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Throughout this commentary, the phrases controllability and contingency will be used interchangeably. A situation is controllable/contingent if taking action changes the probability of an outcome (Maier & Seligman, 2016). Meanwhile, perceived control refers to an individual’s context-specific or general belief that they can influence situations to obtain rewards or avoid punishment (Ly et al., 2019).

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Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.