AP Psychology Practice Test

Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which an individual feels unable to control their environment and outcomes due to repeated exposure to uncontrollable adverse events. The phenomenon arises when a person repeatedly encounters situations where they have little or no control, leading them to learn that their actions do not affect the outcomes. This can manifest in feelings of apathy, despair, or a lack of motivation because they come to believe that they cannot change their circumstances. In the context of the choices provided, being unable to avoid repeated aversive events directly contributes to the development of learned helplessness because it reinforces the idea that one’s efforts are futile in affecting change. This concept is rooted in studies by psychologists such as Martin Seligman, who demonstrated that animals subjected to uncontrollable shocks eventually stopped trying to escape, illustrating the principle of learned helplessness.