To determine the relationship among learned helplessness, locus of control, and academic achievement, data from 86 sixth graders were gathered and intercorrelated. Contingency of teacher-administered rewards and punishments as perceived by school children, and helpless behavior of students as judged by their teachers were measured. The Children's Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale was used to measure locus of control orientation. A positive relationship between academic achievement and locus of control was found. The contingency of reward scale was found to be predictive of academic achievement and helpless behavior. Virtually no significant relationships were found between any of the other variables and the contingency of punishment scale. Helpless behavior was found to be predictive of low academic success and an external locus of control.

In this study the psychological phenomenon of learned helplessness is investigated to determine its significance as a characteristic of members of progressive co-operatives within the South African context . Most of the members of these co-operatives are black South Africans. It is argued that because of the country's racial policy, many of the members have become accustomed to a passive response to events in their lives and this gives rise to their failure to utilise the freedom and opportunities of the co-operative structure. The researcher hypothesises that this passive response could be explained in terms of a high level of learned helplessness among co-operative members. Two hypotheses are investigated in this study: Hypothesis 1: Passive co-operative members will have higher levels of learned helplessness than active members. Hypothesis 2:The level of learned helplessness decreases as the length of co-operative members involvement increases. Data collection for this study was carried out by combining a personal interview and a standardised questionnaire (the Attributional Style Questionnaire). To distinguish between the passive and active members, a Participation Index was constructed. The ASQ was translated into Xhosa, adapted for the sample and two translators were employed to conduct the interviews in Xhosa . The sample consisted of 50 black South Africans, many with limited education and was drawn from six co-operatives in the Eastern Cape. No significant differences were found between the active and passive groups in terms of their levels of learned helplessness. Furthermore, the length of involvement in the co-operative had no effect on the level of learned helplessness. No support was found therefore for Hypothesis l and 2 . A significant difference, however, was found between active and passive members and the number of months of involvement. This suggests that the length of involvement has an effect on how active members will be in the co-operative . The results of this study indicate that generally the sample does not suffer from learned helplessness . It is argued that Hypothesis 2 is not supported due to confounding variables. The study raises many doubts as to the reliability of the ASQ and the Participation Index used in the study.

The impact of a short-term training program upon learned helplessness among nursing home staff and residents was studied. Learned helplessness among staff was defined in terms of depression, self-monitoring, short-term memory, absenteeism, and turnover. Among residents, urinary incontinence was the selected measure of helplessness.

Forty volunteer patients from a Veteran's Administration Hospital served as subjects for this study. On the basis of Beck Depression Inventory scores, the subjects were divided into depressed (11 and above) and nondepressed (7 and below) groups. Subjects were assigned randomly to either public condition (experimenter present with the subject during experimental procedures) or a private condition (subject performed the procedures alone). Subjects in each condition were asked to perform three tasks which varied in the amount of interpersonal involvement each required ranging from low through medium to high. The low interpersonal involvement task consisted of an anagram-solving procedure. Both the medium and high interpersonal involvement tasks employed modification of the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Procedure (MEPDS) (a measure of interpersonal problem solving ability).

M.A. (Psychology) / The present study was undertaken in an attempt to understand and ascertain the nature and influence of psychological variables on the longevity of people who are infected withHN. The specific postulate of this study was that depression is the most important psychological variable that influences the longevity of people with my, either directly or indirectly. A number of variables were hypothesized to playa concomitant role with depression as factors that mediate longevity in people with my. These factors include learned helplessness, self-efficacy, sickness impact, sexual risk behaviors and substance use. The testing of these hypotheses involved an experimental group consisting ofHN positive, gay men who suffered from depression and a control group that consisted ofmv positive gay men who did not suffer from depression. None of the subjects had previously been diagnosed with depression. The subjects were subjected to testing of the mentioned psychological variables by means of the Hamilton-Depression Scale, the Attributional Style Questionnaire, the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale, the Biweekly Record of Sexual Behavior, the Substance Use Behavior Questionnaire and the Sickness Impact Profile. It was found that the experimental group differed significantly from the control group in terms of self-efficacy, sexual risk behavior, substance use and sickness impact. It has been speculated that the lack of significant difference between the experimental and control groups on learned helplessness could imply that equal amounts of learned helplessness was present in both groups.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:08:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 veridiana costa.pdf: 821261 bytes, checksum: c7ba3ea596fac5b42e3b610d55299d0d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-04-08 / The current context presents changes in the subjectives organization ways. Inside this, the redefinitions from the man and woman roles, the new filiation forms, as the new familiar configurations, have brought to a references crisis that reaches different sections from the human life. Among others aspects, this has been implied on redimensionment of the father s place, traditionally conceived as representing from the symbolic law. The father social role is so questioned and, many times, confused with the decline from the paternal function, but, is there is a decline, it is from the patriarchal power, and not of its function, that stays as structural. Fundamental to the structuring of human being and to the social coexistence, the law presents itself like a way of symbolic support. In front of this, we question how stays the reference from the symbolic law, that in the current panorama, it seems leave important blanks in its duties. Inefficient in the limit and interdiction function, the law fails, as well the advantages that should assure of her. No more interdicted, the subject sees himself summoned to the excess and, paradoxally, without references, unsupported. The human condition of unssuporting constituent of the subject due to the life circumstances of people have been exacerbated, what reveals a constant unssuporting situation in which live the nowadays subjects. This leave them to new psychic disorganization forms and makes emerge new symptomatologic configurations, in which expression forms are linked to specific contexts. Among them, the panic disorder highlights as a illustration of the unssuporting more often evocated in the contemporary times, due to the fragility which the law presents itself / O contexto atual apresenta mudanças nos modos de organização subjetiva. Em meio a isso, as redefinições dos papéis do homem e da mulher, as novas formas de filiação, assim como as novas configurações familiares têm levado a uma crise de referências que atinge diferentes setores da vida humana. Dentre outros aspectos, isso tem implicado o redimensionamento do lugar do pai, tradicionalmente concebido como representante da lei simbólica. O papel social do pai passou a ser questionado e, muitas vezes, confundido com o declínio da função paterna, porém, se há um declínio, é do poder do patriarcado, e não de sua função, que permanece como estrutural. Fundamental à estruturação do humano e à convivência social, a lei se apresenta como um modo de amparo simbólico. Diante de tal quadro, questionamos como fica a referência à lei simbólica, que, no panorama atual, parece deixar lacunas importantes em seu exercício. Ineficiente na função de interdição e limite, a lei falha, como falham também as vantagens que ela deveria assegurar. Não mais interditado, o sujeito se vê convocado ao excesso e, paradoxalmente, sem referências, desamparado. A condição humana de desamparo constituinte do sujeito , em razão das circunstâncias de vida das pessoas, vem sendo exacerbada, o que revela a constante situação de desamparo na qual vivem os sujeitos atuais. Isso os leva a novas formas de desorganização psíquica e faz emergir novas configurações sintomatológicas, cujas formas de expressão estão vinculadas a contextos específicos. Dentre elas, o transtorno de pânico se destaca como uma ilustração do desamparo mais freqüentemente evocado na contemporaneidade, promovido pela fragilidade com que a lei se apresenta

Department of Psychology, University of Newcastle. Bibliography: leaves 69-78.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1988. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 283-301).

The research project investigated whether victims of housebreaking experienced motivational, cognitive and emotional deficits central to the Learned Helplessness phenomenon. In keeping with the Reformulated Learned Helplessness theory the attributional style of victims, were also assessed. The State-Trait Inventory developed by Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg and Jacobs was administered to measure the anxiety levels of victims. Sub-goals served as illustration for the learned helplessness phenomenon. Three- hundred victims, using probability sampling techniques, were interviewed by means of an interview schedule. Support was found for cognitive and some motivational deficits and a common range of emotions experienced by victims. The majority of victims exhibited a global attnbutional style. Burglary victims did not show appreciably higher trait and state scores means, except for females in the 19-39 age group, when compared to a psychological norm. Environmental factors did play a role in rendering homes vulnerable. Recommendations addressing the fear of housebreaking were made at a therapeutic and practical level. / Sociology / M.A. (Criminology)

The research project investigated whether victims of housebreaking experienced motivational, cognitive and emotional deficits central to the Learned Helplessness phenomenon. In keeping with the Reformulated Learned Helplessness theory the attributional style of victims, were also assessed. The State-Trait Inventory developed by Spielberger, Gorsuch, Lushene, Vagg and Jacobs was administered to measure the anxiety levels of victims. Sub-goals served as illustration for the learned helplessness phenomenon. Three- hundred victims, using probability sampling techniques, were interviewed by means of an interview schedule. Support was found for cognitive and some motivational deficits and a common range of emotions experienced by victims. The majority of victims exhibited a global attnbutional style. Burglary victims did not show appreciably higher trait and state scores means, except for females in the 19-39 age group, when compared to a psychological norm. Environmental factors did play a role in rendering homes vulnerable. Recommendations addressing the fear of housebreaking were made at a therapeutic and practical level. / Sociology / M.A. (Criminology)