Learned Helplessness

[aron]

Wasn't sure where to put this, so starting a thread. Moderator can append it elsewhere if desired.

"When human beings are continuously exposed to situations where they have little to no control over anything, it often results in learned helplessness. A real-world example of learned helplessness occurs when people are taken as prisoners of war or placed in concentration camps. Those unfortunate people are almost always stripped of their dignity, and basic needs like adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical care are often withheld from them, not to mention the physical abuse and even torture that many have endured. They are also usually denied something just as essential to the mental and physical well being of all humans: autonomy.

Unfortunately, there are many examples from history where people were denied the ability to make even the simplest decisions for themselves, like when to sleep or go to the bathroom, or whether they could even speak. Prolonged exposure to that kind of environment exacts a huge physical and psychological toll. As a result, many eventually either suffer irreparable psychological trauma or lose the will to live. For every story of the triumph of the human spirit like Victor Frankl, John McCain or Louis Zamperini, there are hundreds of others who succumb to their circumstances and die a slow, miserable death."

https://medium.com/@richardobenjr/wh...s-f2567a6dc40f