A study of learned helplessness in future helping professionals: Trends and risks of development

Abstract

The article investigates the manifestations and prerequisites for the formation of learned helplessness among psychology students. The study aims to determine the presence and degree of this condition and to develop a framework for the psychological support of future specialists, with the prospect of stabilizing their psychological state and ensuring the high-quality implementation of their future professional activities. Learned helplessness is conceptualized as a psychological state that forms under the influence of inescapable stressors, leading to the cessation of attempts to influence a situation, even when opportunities to do so become available. The empirical basis of the study consisted of data obtained through an original questionnaire, designed to reveal a four-component structure of learned helplessness, and The Young Schema Questionnaire. The research sample comprised 50 first-year psychology students. The study revealed states of learned helplessness of varying severity, ranging from the absence of signs to persistently pronounced symptomatology. This manifests in the emotional sphere through the presence of negative and asthenic emotions; in the motivational sphere through decreased academic interest; a lack of intrinsic motivation, and dependence on external stimuli; in the cognitive sphere through reduced creativity, an unwillingness to seek non-standard solutions, avoidance of complex tasks, and the use of template behavioral strategies; and in the volitional sphere through low persistence, procrastination, a lack of purposefulness, and difficulty exerting effort for routine actions. Analysis of the data identified several factors influencing the formation of individual components of learned helplessness, including: academic workload and the organization of the educational process, teaching quality and curriculum content, social and psychological atmosphere, external circumstances, living conditions, and personal factors. The majority of subjects demonstrated a symptom complex indicating a propensity for developing learned helplessness, underscoring the need for preventive measures at the stage of professional formation. The obtained results inform a strategy for the psychological support of students. This strategy is based on the psychological remediation of established signs of learned helplessness and the prevention of their formation in future professional activities through identification and reinforcement of adaptive coping strategies.