Learned Helplessness in Elderly.

Learned helplessness happens when a person is frequently subjected to an aversive stimulus that s/he cannot escape. Eventually, the person will stop trying to evade the stimulus and act as if s/he is utterly helpless to change the situation. Even when opportunities to escape are presented, this learned helplessness will prevent any action. According to Seligman, depressed people have learned to be helpless. In order words, depressed people feel that no matter what they do, it will be pointless, and that they have no control over their environments. This is mainly caused when people attribute negative things in life to internal, stable and global factors. Essentially, it means that the person feels as if change is not possible, since there is a pervasive and unchangeable personal problem. It has also been associated with several different psychological disorders. 

Learned helplessness can develop in any stage of one's life, not just childhood - it affects behavioral, cognitive and affective domains at the same time. Many a times, this theory has its significance when one studies about the behavior of the neglected elderly. The causes for learned helplessness to happen in the old age people can vary from one person to another. Usually when they are neglected and there need are not satisfied most of the time, they tend to develop this. For example, if their children do not take good care of them and if their wishes are never met and if they are treated as a burden; they might develop learned helplessness.  With learned helplessness; creativity, positive well-being, and a healthy self-image are lost. The person ultimately loses the ability to be happy as a result of losing the intrinsic motivation needed to achieve it. And because of the learned helplessness, many elderly people are prone to anxiety, depression, shyness, phobias and loneliness. The elderly people should feel that there are wanted and that their opinions are valued. Even if all their wishes cannot be satisfied (eg:-they might ask for food items that can cause harm to their health, this should not be encouraged much) the ones that can be done should be done whole heartedly. It is important to know that not all elderly people react to uncontrollable events with learned helplessness. Certain biological and psychological factors may increase a person’s likelihood of experiencing learned helplessness and/or depression.