An experiment was conducted in the 1960s by two eminent psychologists, Martin Seligman, and Steven F. Maier, using dogs. In the experiment, dogs were kept in two separate cages – where they could not see each other. One cage had an escape door which if pushed will open and allow them to escape, while the second cage had no escape door. The two cages then had an electric shock passed into the cages such that the dogs were very uncomfortable. They rushed around the cage seeking an escape route. The dogs in Cage 1 soon found the escape door and went out of the cage, thus experiencing relief. While the dogs in Cage 2 continued to run around in painful distress. The electric current was stopped after some seconds and the dogs in cage 1 returned back to their cage, while the dogs in Cage 2 simply collapsed in exhaustion. After a period of respite, the cycle was repeated and the dogs in Cage 1 who had found the door previously, immediately escaped via the door. Dogs in Cage 2 continued to struggle in distress as they searched in vain for an escape route. This sequence was repeated a few times until the dogs in Cage 2 stopped bothering to escape and simply endured the pain, knowing that it will be over after some seconds.
After establishing this consistent pattern of behaviour in the two cages, the dogs were switched to different cages. The dogs that were in Cage 1 which had an escape door were now placed in Cage 2 which had no escape door. While the dogs who were previously in Cage 2 were now in Cage 1 – which had an escape door. However, the surprising finding was that the dogs previously in Cage 1 with an escape door, kept searching for an escape door in Cage 2 and they didn’t get tired. Whereas the dogs in Cage 2 who had given up after failing to find an escape door, even though they were now in Cage 1 which had an escape door, simply didn’t bother to search for one. They just lay down and endured the electric shocks…even though they were now in a cage that had an escape route. The psychologists described this observed behaviour as “Learned Helplessness,” and extrapolated that human beings exhibited similar behaviour when they have had numerous negative experiences in life. They become conditioned to accept or learn that they are helpless and there was no escape. Thus, there was no point in bothering to find a solution. They simply accepted their fate and were resigned to it, instead of proactively seeking to solve them.
Discussion
Learned helplessness occurs when a person is unable to find solutions to difficult situations, even when one exists; while they frequently complain, feel overwhelmed, and appear unable to make a positive difference in their circumstances.
Resilience, on the other hand, is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustments. In simple terms, it is the ability to adapt to difficult situations and circumstances. The key difference in resilience is NOT the absence of difficult circumstances but the proactive and action-based response in the search for a solution and a way out of the quagmire. This includes asking for help and acknowledging when you can’t resolve the issue, or lack the expertise to do so on your own. In fact, being able to reach out for help from others is an important part of being resilient.
We should aim to acquire resilience and be adept at navigating the challenges of life; while avoiding learned helplessness, as a form of resignation to uncomfortable challenges – especially the circumstances that we can solve if we only bothered to search for solutions.
Conclusion
Nigerians, and indeed other African countries have experienced a long history of negative adverse events, collectively, as well as individually, that have resulted in many citizens giving up hope that things can ever get better. Or that the nation can be made to work for every citizen, with progress in infrastructure as well as all-round development. We often make jokes and exchange banter even when we are faced with biting hardships – the so-called “catching cruise”. Is this an exhibition of resilience, when we do not seek to improve our circumstances and we give up on our nations?
Thus we are constrained to ask the question and leave you to answer it: Have we been especially gifted with powers of resilience? Or have we simply learned that our helplessness is beyond what we can influence, and we are therefore resigned to our fate?
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