Learned Optimism:
Seligman’s Suggestion for Prevention of Depression
Jessen Tristanto
Dr. Jane Wong, Ph.D.
PSYC 3280
April 3, 2005
Martin Seligman wrote in his book, Learned Optimism: How to Change your Mind and Your Life, that, “life begins in utter helplessness” (Seligman 6). When a baby is born, that baby is at the mercy of his or her caretakers and nature because it is still incapable of doing anything to help him or herself. Seligman himself defined helplessness as, “the state of affairs in which nothing you choose to do affect what happens to you” (Seligman 5). As a person grows into adulthood from babyhood, helplessness lessens as that person gain the abilities and skills necessary to function in whatever society that person is in. However, there are times in a person’s life when his or her situation seem so bad, whether due to bad luck or other causes, that the person reverts back to that basic feeling of feebleness and is thus driven to a period of depression of varying degrees. Inspired by his father’s own struggles, Seligman studied depression and, in Learned Optimism, distinguished the two type of approach to life’s toils and turmoil: optimism and pessimism. Seligman also studied the treatments of depression, the psychoanalysis and biomedical models; the psychoanalysis model attempts to solve depression through Freudian theory of repressed memories and feelings, while the biomedical model attempts to re-balance the chemicals in the brain through the usage of medicines. Through his studies of depression, Seligman discovered that helplessness is something that can be learned in a human being: that is, a person can be put through a series of events before he or she finally “get used” to being helplessness and will basically quit trying to change the way things are. Seligman was appalled by the thought of a society being held from depression by tiny pills taken day by day, and sought for a new way to deal with depression. Thus, in his theory of learned optimism, Seligman argued the other side of the theory of learned helplessness: that a person can learn to be optimistic, just like they can be conditioned to feel helpless, to believe that things will change for the better, thus having a better outlook on life and prevent depression.
The primary difference between Seligman’s optimist and pessimist is the way that unfortunate events are viewed; primarily, are they viewed subjectively or objectively. Optimists view these events subjectively, believing that they are temporary and that they are not at fault for what has happened. This lead to optimists worrying less about their problems than pessimists do because they believe that the misfortune will only linger for a short period of time, with a mentality of “this too shall pass”. An optimist will also see that they are not at fault for every single bad event that happens. For example, if they got a bad grade on a test because they stayed out partying, they will recognize that as their fault. However, if they got a bad grade on a test because they couldn’t study due to a death in the family, they will also recognize that it is not their fault and will chalk it up to bad luck. Optimists also believe that they are not helpless, and that they can work through the downpour to make things look up. This is perhaps the most vital concept in the case of optimism vs. pessimism: the fact that an optimist considers that his or her actions can be fruitful separates that person from the people who simply swim through life barely trying to improve their situation (like most pessimists and victims of depression). The ideas of non-permanence and ability to change will give way to realizing that since things can change, then it is not useless to try your best to better their lives. In the example of Elizabeth, Seligman showed how pessimism gave way to the belief that trying is futile, which in turn worsened the situation (Elizabeth could have argued her case, but instead was convicted of plagiarism and was denied her degree because she did not bother to try to fight). When asked, “What caused your problems?” an optimist would attribute bad luck, karma, etc. Optimists may not always consider the best possibilities in events, but they rarely consider things to be absolutely horrible and will confer that, no matter what, things could be worse.
The polar opposite of optimists, pessimists blame themselves for the misfortunes they are experiencing, and rarely see things as changeable. They would channel shortcomings into personal handicaps (Sarah thinking that a bad test grade means that she is intellectually incapable) and believe that they are helpless, unable to change things for the better. If you ask a pessimist why they are having such problems, you would hear something along the line of, “Because I am stupid” or ugly or untalented, etc. Seligman’s call to fame actually came from his theory of learned helplessness and its correlation to depression; in his theory, pessimists who are accustomed to seeing the worst case scenario in every thing “learned” to be helpless by default. In this cognitive model, the individual actually expects misfortunes to happen and does nothing to prevent them since the individual believe that there is nothing he or she can do to alter the incoming course of events. Seligman’s theory of learned helplessness argues that depression is caused by the psychological stress due to events being seen as uncontrollable and, “future noncontingency (unrelatedness) between responding and outcomes” (Seligman et. al. 270).
Generally speaking, after reading Learned Optimism, an individual can apply Seligman’s theories not to how to respond to situations but how to view them. Seligman wrote that, “learned optimism is not a rediscovery of the ‘power of positive thinking’” (Seligman 15), but rather a suggestion to look at life through a different point of view. To remain on our fail-a-test example, instead of telling one’s self that one failed the test due to cognitive handicaps or personal attacks (“The teacher hates me”), one can observe the different factors that could have gone into the bad grade. In doing such, one may find that there could be more than one reason: tricky questions, poor preparation, performance anxiety, etc. While some of these factors still instill a certain level of self-blame, none of them are as brutal and depressing as, “Because I am stupid”. The key here is that believing that one is stupid and will remain stupid is a state of mind that is believed to be permanent, while if one simply says that one did not study enough, this can be viewed as a lesson of what one should do for the next test. Giving up is an act of pessimism and a response by way of helplessness, so in order for an individual to avoid doing so is to always keep a bit of hope alive and try again. The rewards of keeping an optimistic view, according to Seligman, range from simply being free of depression, to a better and healthier and happier life, even to a longer life expectancy; consequently, it will leave the risk of helplessness-induced depression only a narrow chance of emerging since there are very few times and scenarios where the person will truly feel helpless.
Our textbook, written by Seligman and co-authors, went into the learned helplessness model a little deeper than Learned Optimism. In Abnormal Psychology, we are introduced to Aaron T. Beck’s theory of depression, where he listed the five logical errors in thinking as they relate to how a depressed individual thinks: arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, overgeneralization, magnification and minimization, and personalization. All five of them consist of the demeaning of one’s self and the trivializing of one’s achievements. Beck’s theory ties into Seligman’s learned optimism theory in the way that an individual’s treatment and belief(s) of a failure depends entirely on how that individual view the cause and effect of said failure. In our textbook, the difference between internal and external factors, along with stable and unstable factors, are significantly discussed: internal and external factors look at whether the blunders were caused by a personal fault or variables out of one’s control, while the stable and unstable factors look at whether the situation is permanent or temporary. The textbook argued that, “the expectation of no control and the certainty that something bad will happen or that something good will not happen is what leads to depression…that the expectation of helplessness creates anxiety, but that this anxiety turns into depression when helplessness becomes hopelessness…” (Seligman et. al. 272). This differed with Seligman’s learned optimism theory where Seligman believes that depression is caused by being in the state of helplessness itself, while the textbook believes that depression is caused by the expectation of being helpless or hopeless.
Arguably, there is not much difference between the two hypothesized causes since they both deal with an overall pessimistic view. It may be trivial to decide which the true cause of depression via helplessness is, but enough is known to suggest some basic theories for a new way to prevent depression. In the American society, the case of being an individual is placed on a heavy emphasis so it not uneasy for a person to feel overwhelmed and helpless, seemingly trying to move through life in a steep uphill battle. The focus on individual success and criticism is prevalent and sometimes it can be very hard to truly believe that things are going to look up soon or to not blame one’s self for failures and shortcomings. However, Seligman’s learned optimism theory offer the age old adage (perhaps even cliché) backed by scientific and research proofs that, truly, people who see the glass as half full can overcome the risk of depression more so than those who see the glass as half empty.
Works Cited
Seligman, M.E.P. Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Pocket Books: New York, 1998.
Seligman, M.E.P., Walker, E.F., & Rosenhan, D. L. Abnormal Psychology (4th ed). Norton & Company: New York, 2001