Summary Of Giving Up By Martin Seligman

Giving up is a decision people can make in the face of stress; Martin Seligman examined this idea in his original research experiment in 1992. In his experiment, animals were subjected to electric shock where escape was not possible. Following this initial ‘trapped’ experience animals were given the opportunity to learn a response, which would allow them to escape the electric shocks. What Seligman found was that these animals had become so dispirited and apathetic that they did not try to escape the shock even when it was possible. Comparably, a human experiment was conducted using inescapable sound and findings were similar to the animal experimentation. What Seligman discovered was the concept of learned helplessness, which the textbook

Relating Seligman’s theory of learned helplessness to spousal abuse, it is inferable that individuals experiencing chronic spousal abuse have learned to be helpless. Similarly to the shock experiment, individuals in abusive relationships endure abuse where escape is impossible, due to either financial reasons or actual confinement. After suffering this abuse, victims learn to be helpless forgetting their ability to escape their abuser; similar to how the animals became so apathetic they do not even try to escape the shock. Victims might also rely on their abusers over time, making escape even more challenging because external resources may not be obvious causing the victim to feel helpless and trapped.

4. The frequency of road rage is increasing; one potential reason for this may be due to the power and composition of vehicles being produced. With loud and fast cars being popularized in social media individuals desire to emphasize what they purchased with a sense of entitlement, resulting in fast driving, weaving through traffic and blowing lights perhaps increasing the likely hood of road rage incidences. An increase in road rage may also be due to our lack of regard for other people in society. As societies continue to grow