The Patriot Post® · 'Learned Helplessness'

Larry Elder: “In the ‘60s, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman developed the theory of 'learned helplessness’ – when a person learns to believe and act helpless when, in fact, they do have control over their own negative circumstances but fail to exercise it. He then devoted most of his studies to ‘positive psychology’ and the effect of happiness and optimism in people’s lives. He produced an equation, H=S+C+V, where a person’s genetic capacity for happiness (S), plus their circumstances (C) and factors under their voluntary control (V) equal their happiness (H). His extensive research discovered that a low ‘C’ – adverse circumstances like poor health or poverty – matters very little if a person has a high ‘V,’ a positive, optimistic outlook and a belief in himself. For example, he found that an upbeat wheelchair-bound factory worker often leads a happier life than a robust, wealthy CEO. Psychologists called this the ‘emotional quotient’ factor, or EQ: a measurement of a person’s ability to monitor his or her emotions, cope with pressures and demands, control his or her thoughts and actions, and one’s ability to assess and affect situations and relationships with other people. Salesmen, for example, with ‘high EQ’ for a strong positive outlook outsold those with higher traditional aptitude, but with lower EQ. High EQ people engage in positive behavior, which leads to positive results.”