Generalization of motivational and functional helplessness

The learned helplessness theory (Seligman, 1975) claims that permanent failure causes an expectation of uncontrolability that generalizes to subsequent test tasks and produces (mediated by motivational deficits) performance deficits. In contrast, Kuhl (1981) states that permanent failure produces not only the expectation of uncontrolability but also a functional deficit, called state orientation. State orientation, but not the expectation of uncontrolability, should generalize to the test tasks and cause the performance deficits. These opposing assumptions concerning the generalization of the expectation of uncontrolability and state orientation were tested in a helplessness experiment. During a training phase, 45 college students were confronted with either one success, one failure, or three failures in discrimination problems (Levine, 1966). In a subsequent test phase, which was disguised as a second experiment, subjects had to solve anagrams. Expectations of uncontrolability and the amount of state orientation were assessed after success or failure in the training phase (t1) as well as during the test phase while working on the anagrams (t2). Results showed that only state orientation generalized from t1 to t2 and not expectation of uncontrolability. The results are considered to support Kuhl's conception of functional helplessness. Implications for further development of learned helplessness theory are discussed.