by Ma Yuen-kwan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-93). / Text in English; abstracts in English and Chinese. / by Ma Yuen-kwan. / LIST OF TABLES --- p.i / ABBREVIATIONS AND FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS --- p.iii / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and problem of the study --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Purpose of the study --- p.4 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of the study --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE / Chapter 2.1 --- The phenomenon of learned helplessness --- p.6 / Chapter 2.2 --- The original learned helplessness model --- p.7 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- The experiment -- an animal research --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Effects found in the animals of the experiment --- p.9 / Chapter -- --- Motivational deficit / Chapter -- --- Cognitive deficit / Chapter -- --- Emotional deficit / Chapter -- --- Performance deficit / Chapter 2.2.3 --- The human research --- p.10 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Inadequacies of the original model --- p.12 / Chapter 2.3 --- The reformulated learned helplessness model --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Causal attributions in learned helplessness --- p.13 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Internality in learned helplessness --- p.13 / Chapter -- --- "Self-esteem loss, personal helplessness and universal helplessness" / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Stability in learned helplessness --- p.14 / Chapter -- --- Chronic helplessness and temporary helplessness / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Globality in learned helplessness --- p.15 / Chapter -- --- Pervasive helplessness and specific helplessness / Chapter 2.4 --- Instruments of measuring attributional styles and their psychometric properties --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- The Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) --- p.17 / Chapter -- --- Internal consistency / Chapter -- --- Consistency across goal areas (achievement-affiliation) / Chapter -- --- Consistency across outcomes (good-bad) / Chapter -- --- Intercorrelations of dimensions (internal-stable-global) / Chapter -- --- Stability / Chapter -- --- Validity / Chapter 2.4.2 --- The Expanded Attributional Style Questionnaire (Expanded ASQ) --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- The Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ) --- p.24 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- The Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanations (CAVE Technique) --- p.26 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- METHOD / Chapter 3.1 --- Definitions --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Learned helplessness --- p.28 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Dimensionality --- p.29 / Chapter 3.2 --- Hypotheses --- p.30 / Chapter 3.3 --- Subjects --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- The preliminary investigation --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- The pilot study --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- The main study --- p.34 / Chapter 3.4 --- Instrument --- p.35 / The Chinese Attributional Style Questionnaire (CHASQ) / Chapter -- --- A critical examination on the applicability of the ASQ / Chapter -- --- The identification and categorization of hypothetical events / Chapter -- --- The item construction of the CHASQ / Chapter -- --- The pilot study of the CHASQ / Chapter -- --- The scoring system of the CHASQ / Chapter 3.5 --- Procedure --- p.42 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- The preliminary investigation --- p.43 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- The pilot study --- p.43 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- The main study --- p.43 / Chapter 3.6 --- Analyses --- p.43 / Chapter 3.7 --- Limitations --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION / Chapter 4.1 --- The pilot study --- p.46 / Chapter 4.2 --- The main study --- p.51 / Chapter -- --- Reliability of the CHASQ / Chapter -- --- Means and standard deviations / Chapter -- --- Factor structure of the CHASQ / Chapter -- --- Intercorrelations among the individual dimension scoresin aversive events / Chapter -- --- Intercorrelations among the individual dimension scoresin positive events / Chapter -- --- Group difference (between high-banding and low-banding subjects) of individual dimensions in both achievement and affiliative events / Chapter -- --- Attributional styles of the sampled subjects with the real life experiences / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- "CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS" / Chapter 5.1 --- Conclusion --- p.77 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implications --- p.78 / Chapter 5.3 --- Recommendations --- p.80 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- The evaluation of the validity of the contextualized CHASQ (Chinese Attributional Style Questionnaire) --- p.80 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Qualitative studies on the phenomenon of learned helplessness --- p.81 / REFERENCES --- p.82 / APPENDIX / Chapter A. --- Questionnaire of the preliminary investigation --- p.94 / Chapter B. --- Categorization of the good and bad events in achievement- related and affiliative domains --- p.100 / Chapter C. --- Suggestions of the hypothetical events for the Chinese Attributional Style Questionnaire --- p.101 / Chapter D. --- A preliminary draft of the Chinese Attributional Style Questionnaire (CHASQ;華人歸因模式問卷初稿） --- p.102 / Chapter E. --- A final draft of the Chinese Attributional Style Questionnaire (CHASQ;華人歸因模式問卷定稿） --- p.114

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 218-228). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / This study was undertaken in an attempt to validate the hypothesis that anxious subjects who ingested diazepam (Valium) and were subjected to a helplessness inducing situation,would become more depressed and more hopeless than people who were subjected to the same situation and obtained anxiety relief by means of a response-contingent behaviour - a muscle relaxation exercise. Twenty-nine male and female students were selected from the undergraduate and post-graduate student population at the Rand Afrikaans University on the basis of scores on the IPAT Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental groups and the one control group and were subjected to the helplessness inducing situation. A wide spectrum of measures were performed and the results subjected to analyses of variance. The results indicated support for the hypothesis that people who received response contingent anxiety relief became less depressed than people who obtained non-response-contingent anxiety relief. No support was found for the hopelessness construct. The lack of results of this were discussed in terms of the effectiveness of the measuring instruments and that hopelessness and helplessness might be different concepts.

The satisfaction-paradox, defined as the state of being satisfied with objectively unsatisfactory living conditions, represents a dysfunctional state of the poor for both the government and individuals by creating long-term poverty. Traditional rationales classify the reasons for this phenomenon as conscious decisions of individuals or shiftlessness and thereby results in material and social costs associated with this phenomenenon for both the individual and the government. This study undertakes a first step to provide empirical evidence for a constructive explanation of the satisfaction-paradox employing the theory of learned helplessness. A secondary analysis of the Hunger Factors Assessment data set in Oregon (1986, 1988) was performed. The study uses a newly developed theoretical model that incorporates both the quality of life model, from which the satisfaction-paradox evolves, as well as the learned helplessness model, offered as one explanation of the paradox. Criteria from the model were then defined by measures in the data set to identify the group of "learned helpless and satisfied poor". Approximately 10 percent of the Oregon Emergency Food Users have been identified as "learned helpless and satisfied poor". The investigation of their socio-demographic characteristics, in comparison to "not learned helpless and dissatisfied poor", has described them as rather more likely to be female, single, older, employed, home owners or renters, living with others, and long-term residents of Oregon. In these ways they seem to be more settled then the poverty stereotype and more closely resemble typical Oregon residents. However, like others in poverty, they lack income and information (or resource) networks. Discriminant analysis was utilized to make a first step towards early identification of the poor "at risk" of learning helplessness by assessing their socio-demographic characteristics. The resulting function includes these variables: age of respondents, their employment status, their gender, the fact that they receive welfare income, their household equipment, their educational level, the number of income sources, the length of residency, their health status, household size, their homeownership, the fact that they have health insurance and finally, the labor potential of their households. It explains, in total, 48.3 percent of the difference between the two groups at a p-level of 0.01 or less, a Chi-Square of 71.13 (dF = 14) and a Wilk's Lambda of 0.76. Its predictive assignment of learned helpless and satisfied poor was 12 percent higher than a random assignment and 15 percent in the case of the not learned helpless and dissatisfied poor. The model, therefore, seems to be useful in understanding a certain segment of the poor, but needs more development research. A longitudinal, primary data set, including psychological variables and refined operationalization of the learned helplessness concept would bring more detailed insight and practical implications. However, it could be shown that an individual attributing "failure" internally, and having opportunity to experience failure and uncontrollability, can enter the process of learning helplessness regardless of former achievements and value dispositions. Causality models to explain poverty should hence acknowledge both micro- and macro-level effects and thus result in more complex explanations and solutions than current models. / Graduation date: 1991

Thesis (B.A. Hons. 1980) from the Department of Psychology, University of Adelaide.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1991.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-82).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-72).

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract