Final answer:
Learned helplessness is a psychological condition where an individual believes they have no control over their situation, often arising from repeated exposure to uncontrollable negative events. It was first extensively studied by psychologist Martin Seligman in experiments with dogs, which were subjected to inescapable electric shocks, leading them to passivity even when escape was later possible. Humans can also develop learned helplessness from negative life experiences perceived as uncontrollable, contributing to feelings of helplessness and possibly depression.
Step-by-step explanation:
Whether someone develops learned helplessness under conditions of unavoidable aversive events likely depends on their cognitive attributions and past experiences. In the concept of learned helplessness first illustrated by Martin Seligman in experiments with dogs, it was shown that when faced with repeated and unavoidable electric shocks, the dogs eventually stopped trying to escape, indicating a belief that they had no control over the situation. Seligman and colleagues related this behavior to human depression, proposing that when humans experience negative life events they perceive as uncontrollable, they may become passive and stop trying to effect change, possibly leading to depression.
In other words, attributions that people make about why adverse events happen contribute to whether they feel in control or helpless. Positive attributions can enhance feelings of control and self-efficacy, making learned helplessness less likely, while negative attributions can do the opposite.