Thanks for that. The whole response is interesting.
I ask because up until quite recently I was labouring under a wonky definition of “learned helplessness” that revolved around strategic self-handicapping.
An example would be people who foster a characteristic of technical incompetence, to the point where they refuse to click next-next-finish on a noddy software installer. Every time they exhibit their technical incompetence, they’re reinforced in this behaviour by someone taking the “hard” task away from them. Hence their “helplessness” is “learned”.
It wasn’t until recently that I came across an accurate definition in a book on reinforcement training. I’m pretty sure I’ve had “learned helplessness” in my lexicon for over a decade, and I’ve never seen it used in a context that challenged my definition, or used it in a way that aroused suspicion. It’s worth noting that I probably picked up my definition through observing feminist discussions. Trying a mental find-and-replace on ten years’ conversations is kind of weird.
I am also now bereft of a term for what I thought “learned helplessness” was. Analogous ideas come up in game theory, but there’s no snappy self-contained way available to me for expressing it.
I am also now bereft of a term for what I thought “learned helplessness” was. Analogous ideas come up in game theory, but there’s no snappy self-contained way available to me for expressing it.
Schelling does talk about strategic self-sabotage, but it captures a lot of deliberated behaviour that isn’t implied in my fake definition.
Also interesting to note, I have read that Epistemic Learned Helplessness blog entry before, and my fake definition is sufficiently consistent with it that it doesn’t stand out as obviously incorrect.
Also interesting to note, I have read that Epistemic Learned Helplessness blog entry before, and my fake definition is sufficiently consistent with it that it doesn’t stand out as obviously incorrect.
Now picturing a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles labelled “epistemic learned helplessness”, “what psychologists call ‘learned helplessness’”, and “what sixes_and_sevens calls ‘learned helplessness’”!
An example would be people who foster a characteristic of technical incompetence, to the point where they refuse to click next-next-finish on a noddy software installer. Every time they exhibit their technical incompetence, they’re reinforced in this behaviour by someone taking the “hard” task away from them. Hence their “helplessness” is “learned”.
Making up a term for this...”reinforced helplessness”? (I dunno whether it’d generalize to cover the rest of what you formerly meant by “learned helplessness”.)
Thanks for that. The whole response is interesting.
I ask because up until quite recently I was labouring under a wonky definition of “learned helplessness” that revolved around strategic self-handicapping.
An example would be people who foster a characteristic of technical incompetence, to the point where they refuse to click next-next-finish on a noddy software installer. Every time they exhibit their technical incompetence, they’re reinforced in this behaviour by someone taking the “hard” task away from them. Hence their “helplessness” is “learned”.
It wasn’t until recently that I came across an accurate definition in a book on reinforcement training. I’m pretty sure I’ve had “learned helplessness” in my lexicon for over a decade, and I’ve never seen it used in a context that challenged my definition, or used it in a way that aroused suspicion. It’s worth noting that I probably picked up my definition through observing feminist discussions. Trying a mental find-and-replace on ten years’ conversations is kind of weird.
I am also now bereft of a term for what I thought “learned helplessness” was. Analogous ideas come up in game theory, but there’s no snappy self-contained way available to me for expressing it.
Good chance you’ve seen both of these before, but:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness and http://squid314.livejournal.com/350090.html
Damn, if only someone had created a thread for that, ho ho ho
Strategic incompetence?
I’m not sure if maybe Schelling uses a specific name (self-sabotage?) for that kind of thing?
Schelling does talk about strategic self-sabotage, but it captures a lot of deliberated behaviour that isn’t implied in my fake definition.
Also interesting to note, I have read that Epistemic Learned Helplessness blog entry before, and my fake definition is sufficiently consistent with it that it doesn’t stand out as obviously incorrect.
Now picturing a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles labelled “epistemic learned helplessness”, “what psychologists call ‘learned helplessness’”, and “what sixes_and_sevens calls ‘learned helplessness’”!
Making up a term for this...”reinforced helplessness”? (I dunno whether it’d generalize to cover the rest of what you formerly meant by “learned helplessness”.)