Learned Helplessness Case Study

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Some individuals, more specifically children, suffer from a condition known as learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a condition where individuals feel they have no control over reaching sufficient achievements in academic or personal tasks. These individuals believe that they cannot help themselves be successful and solve problems that they come across. In this particular case, a 13-year-old girl is observed two times a week for a total of two weeks in various settings where learned helpless actions are most prominent. These settings include school, home, and around peers. To be more specific, the young girl was observed in classes such as science, math, and physical education. Along with observing her behavior in the school setting, …show more content…

There are many issues and goals presented with those involved in this specific case. To begin, there are several issues with the young girl’s family relationship, more importantly, her mother. With this said, although there are no signs of abuse, and the relationship seems to be positive, her mother shows several signs of neglect (Martinek & Walling, 1995). One example of the present signs of neglect include the young girl attending school wearing dirty clothes and showing a dirty appearance. The young girl is also known to go to school unprepared and does not attend class with the needed materials (Martinek & Walling, 1995). Mothers are known to be nurturing to their kids and always look out for them while providing the necessary care for them. These qualities are not present in the young girl’s mother who may have led to her condition of learned helplessness. Along with the young girl’s family relationship, her relationship involving her teachers are observed as well. Her teachers face several concerns dealing with her behavior and her problem for learning. Particular difficulties and concerns her teachers often come across …show more content…

The recommended solutions are relevant when it comes to the young girl’s case. For instance, the case suggests that the young girl participates in after school sessions involving other learned helplessness kids (Martinek & Walling, 1995). This solution will not only help her in her difficulties with her school work but will also help her social skills as well. All in all, if an individual with learned helplessness attempts different solutions to their condition, their feelings of failure may

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