Final answer:
Learned helplessness is the pessimistic belief that one's present circumstances, problems, or mood will not change, often leading to depression. It is associated with a feeling that outcomes are outside of one's control, but changing attribution habits can mitigate its effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
A pessimistic belief that one's present circumstances, problems, or mood will not change is known as learned helplessness. This concept was originally developed through experiments by psychologist Martin Seligman and relates to the sense that outcomes in one's life are beyond their control. When individuals attribute negative life events to internal, stable, and global causes, they are more likely to experience depression due to a perceived lack of control. Learned helplessness can result in a diminished motivation to take action in the face of adversity, as seen in Seligman's experiments with dogs. However, hopelessness theory, a reformulation of the learned helplessness model, suggests that changing attribution habits can help in reducing vulnerability to depression.