First let us get clear with this Martin who and what etc....
professor Martin was doing experiment on dogs! and he accidentally found out this learned helplessness theory!
let me explain it with a rat model:
the experimental rat is in a metallic cage and whenever its door is opened it used to run away!
now they took the same rat and started passing current through the cage! The rat tried its best to get out of that box but no use!.
they passed the current again and again over few days! initially the rat tried its best to get out of that box but, no use. later it stopped trying! finally they open the door and pass the current. Now the rat instead of trying to go out it lays flat on the floor of the cage jerking with each shock!
So, the professor Seligman one fine day found that The Dog is strangely not escaping even when the door is left open and he is giving a shock!
Strange right even when the opportunity to its release from this pathetic suffering by the curious professor was wide open the dog stayed back and told the Professor
Please Shock me again
The eyes of the Professor got opened, he got a golden shock...after-all his cruel experiment did not go waste....
Then he proposed
Humans when suffer for a long time they will get used to acceptance of permanent helplessness even when the help is all doors open.
Learned helplessness
He called it Learned Helplessness!
This finding made the life of Professor Seligman! He made a golden career out of it! This finding fueled his career with many positions and he even became the president of American psychological association.. he is the director of positive psychology center and there is masters in positive psychology with Pennyslvania university...goes on goes on we can fill pages writing how that finding helped Dr Seligman with so many works on psychology all centered on one thing : Learned Helplessness!
Now learned helplessness is a very strong concept in modern psychology and positive thinking etc... have their strong roots with this concept!
Now it is widely applied in psychotherapy for depression, patients suffering with depression. Its true patients in depression will not jump at the chances they get,,,,
Here comes the role of positive thinking.
So the people who are depressed and accepted the routine negative outcomes as the reality should break that mould by thinking positive...
If the negativity is so real and is practically permanent where is the place for positivity?
How can a depressed man can perform equally with a sound man?
How can a depressed man perform equally or better than his neighbor who grew up in a sound environment ?
How can a depressed man convince the society to accept him when the society stamped on him his fathers, his children and children of the children unfit and failure?
he needs a chance.
when the height he has to climb is 100 mts while his fellow has to climb is 10 meters only how can he compete with him?
Thats where Dr Ambedkar fits into the picture of learned helplessness and positive thinking ahead of Dr.Seligman.
what Ambedkar did?
Ambedkar , the writer of Indian constitution made a special provision that the oppressed castes (lower castes) will have seats reserved for them in academic institutions and government jobs! They will be allowed to get their admission in the college or the job even if they are of less merit than their fellow upper caste Indian!
what was his reason?
these people had been suffering for thousands of years. Even if you give equal opportunities all of a sudden they would not be able to get the benefit of it!
the height they have to climb is higher than the fellow upper caste people...
do you think any similarity with learned helplessness theory?
yes , they need more chances than others to make it a fair competition....
The reservation system is the application of concept of learned helplessness...
Ok now let us dig it who is first?
Ambedkar finished writing Indian constitution year 1949 November!
while professor seligman began his experiments on dog in 1967 and "accidentally" found the learned helplessness !
so who is first with learned helplessness Dr BR Ambedkar or Professor Martin Seligman?
I guess Dr Seligman should acknowledge Dr B R Ambedkar as the first in his work long ahead of him. Infact dr seligman just proposed the concept of Dr Ambedkar ...k k leaving it here.
professor Martin was doing experiment on dogs! and he accidentally found out this learned helplessness theory!
let me explain it with a rat model:
the experimental rat is in a metallic cage and whenever its door is opened it used to run away!
now they took the same rat and started passing current through the cage! The rat tried its best to get out of that box but no use!.
they passed the current again and again over few days! initially the rat tried its best to get out of that box but, no use. later it stopped trying! finally they open the door and pass the current. Now the rat instead of trying to go out it lays flat on the floor of the cage jerking with each shock!
So, the professor Seligman one fine day found that The Dog is strangely not escaping even when the door is left open and he is giving a shock!
Strange right even when the opportunity to its release from this pathetic suffering by the curious professor was wide open the dog stayed back and told the Professor
Please Shock me again
The eyes of the Professor got opened, he got a golden shock...after-all his cruel experiment did not go waste....
Then he proposed
Humans when suffer for a long time they will get used to acceptance of permanent helplessness even when the help is all doors open.
Learned helplessness
He called it Learned Helplessness!
This finding made the life of Professor Seligman! He made a golden career out of it! This finding fueled his career with many positions and he even became the president of American psychological association.. he is the director of positive psychology center and there is masters in positive psychology with Pennyslvania university...goes on goes on we can fill pages writing how that finding helped Dr Seligman with so many works on psychology all centered on one thing : Learned Helplessness!
Now learned helplessness is a very strong concept in modern psychology and positive thinking etc... have their strong roots with this concept!
Now it is widely applied in psychotherapy for depression, patients suffering with depression. Its true patients in depression will not jump at the chances they get,,,,
Here comes the role of positive thinking.
So the people who are depressed and accepted the routine negative outcomes as the reality should break that mould by thinking positive...
If the negativity is so real and is practically permanent where is the place for positivity?
How can a depressed man can perform equally with a sound man?
How can a depressed man perform equally or better than his neighbor who grew up in a sound environment ?
How can a depressed man convince the society to accept him when the society stamped on him his fathers, his children and children of the children unfit and failure?
he needs a chance.
when the height he has to climb is 100 mts while his fellow has to climb is 10 meters only how can he compete with him?
Thats where Dr Ambedkar fits into the picture of learned helplessness and positive thinking ahead of Dr.Seligman.
what Ambedkar did?
Ambedkar , the writer of Indian constitution made a special provision that the oppressed castes (lower castes) will have seats reserved for them in academic institutions and government jobs! They will be allowed to get their admission in the college or the job even if they are of less merit than their fellow upper caste Indian!
what was his reason?
these people had been suffering for thousands of years. Even if you give equal opportunities all of a sudden they would not be able to get the benefit of it!
the height they have to climb is higher than the fellow upper caste people...
do you think any similarity with learned helplessness theory?
yes , they need more chances than others to make it a fair competition....
The reservation system is the application of concept of learned helplessness...
Ok now let us dig it who is first?
Ambedkar finished writing Indian constitution year 1949 November!
while professor seligman began his experiments on dog in 1967 and "accidentally" found the learned helplessness !
so who is first with learned helplessness Dr BR Ambedkar or Professor Martin Seligman?
I guess Dr Seligman should acknowledge Dr B R Ambedkar as the first in his work long ahead of him. Infact dr seligman just proposed the concept of Dr Ambedkar ...k k leaving it here.
Dr BR Ambedkar wrote the constitution of India, he belonged to untouchable caste (Untouchability is abolished in India long back ), and this is his educational qualification
M.A &PhD Columbia university-economics & sociology
M.A &PhD Columbia university-economics & sociology
doctorate in econmics from London school of Economics
and he was also a barrister (lawyer) and more....
and his journey was incredible.
The whole point is reservations do have a huge scientific base of learned helplessness,
otherwise google Dr.Seligman he has been earning his bread and cake on the same concept since the last 40+ years .
and his journey was incredible.
The whole point is reservations do have a huge scientific base of learned helplessness,
otherwise google Dr.Seligman he has been earning his bread and cake on the same concept since the last 40+ years .
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