Learned Helplessness vs. Depression: Just what exactly is the difference?

docshay · 2016-08-19T19:56:46+00:00

Learned helplessness is finding out specific things that don't work. Depression is finding flaws in everything and being overwhelmed by it.

gcz77 · 2016-08-20T01:46:16+00:00

Learned helplessness has to do with learning and conditioning. Basically, humans learn through associating stimuli. For example a child learns that if he does x in situation y then he will receive an aversive stimulus, in other words the child will be punished when he behaves badly. The child then learns to operate within these rules.

Learned helplessness happens when someone can't find a way to avoid the aversive stimulus; for example if a parent where to punish the child even when he changed his behavior. Because the child learns that his response can't stop the aversive stimulus he begins to believe that he's not able to change the environment. He has in short learn to be helpless. This is basically what learnt helplessness is.

It's not the same as depression although learnt helplessness does cause depression.

I would like to make clear that although I used an example of a child the same thing can happen to an adult.

Overnight_Delivery · 2016-08-19T21:19:03+00:00

learned helpless can be overcome with a win. Depression will continue whether you are winning or not.

Also learned helplessness is primarily about getting a bunch of bad results that should have been successes, that then ultimately keep you from trying later when that good approach would have worked like it should have.

learned helplessness will happen no matter what whether you're skilled etc so long as you have too many failures in a row but the solution is always a win (even if $$$ was involved, or she's "paid to be nice" (cashier, bar tender waitress etc)). Otherwise you have to wait until your brain naturally forgets. It's just how the brain fundamentally works.

Strobbledeebiff · 2016-08-19T22:57:25+00:00

I see them as the same. The mental agony of depression is inextricable from the limiting, delusional belief that there is no process by which you can get what you want, or get away from what you hate, or stop wanting or hating said things.

Depression is maybe the state of mind resulting from the learned belief that things are helpless.

Title	Learned Helplessness vs. Depression: Just what exactly is the difference?
Author	gtrman571
Upvotes	10
Comments	4
Date	August 19, 2016 6:20 PM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/seduction
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/seduction/comments/4ykevb/learned_helplessness_vs_depression_just_what/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/seduction/learned-helplessness-vs-depression-just-what.1411154 https://theredarchive.com/post/1411154

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