Learned Helplessness and one theory of Depression

The study of learned helplessness by Seligman can be related to the three theories of depression which are the environmental biological, and cognitive. The environmental theory of depression can be linked to learned helplessness in various ways. The connection is that if a person becomes depressed because of an environmental factor such as every day experiences that lead to negative thoughts, perspectives, and outcomes in life, then learned helplessness would take the role of making the person think pessimistically and adapting to the negative circumstances instead of finding a solution and or trying to be optimistic. An example would be if a student is an outcast and is unsuccessful academically, then there is a higher likelihood that the student will present a type of depression because he or she interacts in an environment that is negative in various ways towards his or her feelings. After trying hard to fit in for several years and improving his or her grades, and finally being unsuccessful, then the student will feel he or she is good for nothing and will adapt to the idea. Here comes the connection of between learned helplessness and the environmental theory of depression. If the person is depressed, his thoughts, ideas, and decisions will be affected immensely if they feel they cannot do anything to make the situation improve and will therefore accept that fact that they will not succeed in the aspect of life that is giving them trouble. When a person feels left out of society and all the people around, they will probably become depressed, if it is something that is persistent for several months or even years. This could trigger the depression and also learned helplessness. Once a person becomes depressed, they will begin to think that no matter how hard they try to succeed, they will not able to.