Abstract
A therapeutic intervention for the alleviation of learned helplessness is discussed in terms of theories of causal attributions, self-concept development, and environmental psychology. Outward Bound, a wilderness training program, is presented as an example of this intervention.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramson, L., Seligman, M., & Teasdale, J. Learned helplessness in humans: critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1978, 87, 49–74.
Andrews, G., & Debus, R. Persistence and the causal perception of failure: modifying cognitive attributions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1978, 70, 154–166.
Atkinson, J.W. An introduction to motivation. Princeton, N.J.: Van Nostrand, 1964.
Bruner, J.S. On perceptual readiness. Psychological Review, 1957, 64, 123–152.
Bruner, J.S., & Postman, L. On the perception of incongruity: a paradigm. Journal of Personality, 1949, 18, 206–223.
Butterfield, E.C., & Belmont, J.M. Assessing and improving the executive cognitive functions of mentally retarded people. In I. Bialer & M. Sternlicht (Eds.), Psychological issues in mental retardation. New York: Psychological Dimensions, Inc., 1977.
Catton, W.R., Jr. Motivations of wilderness users. Pulp & Paper Magazine of Canada. Quebec: National Business Publications, Dec. 19, 1969, 121–122.
Cohen, S. Environmental load and the allocation of attention. In A. Baum & S. Valins (Eds.), Advances in environmental research. Norwood, N.J.: Erlbaum, in press.
Coopersmith, S. The antecedents of self-esteem. San Francisco: Freeman, 1967.
Covington, M., & Beery, R. Self-worth and school learning. New York: Holt, Rinehart & ; Winston, 1976.
deCharms, R. Personal causation. New York: Academic Press, 1968.
Deci, E.L. Intrinsic motivation. New York: Plenum, 1975.
Diener, C, & Dweck, C. An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy and achievement cognitions following failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1978, 36, 451–462.
Downs, R.M., & Stea, D. (Eds.) Image and environment: Cognitive mapping and spatial behavior. Chicago: Aldine, 1973.
Dweck, C.S. The role of expectations and attributions in the alleviation of learned helplessness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1975, 31, 674–685.
Dweck, C.S., & Goetz, T.E. Attributions and learned helplessness. In J.H. Harvey, W. Ickes, & R.F. Kidd (Eds.), New directions in attribution research (Vol. 2). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1978.
Dweck, C.S., & Reppucci, N.D. Learned helplessness and reinforcement responsibility in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1973, 25, 109–116.
Farber, S.M. Quality of living—Stress and creativity. In F. Darling & J. Milton (Eds.), Future environments of North America. Garden City, N.Y.: The Natural History Press, 1966.
Feather, N.T. The study of persistence. Psychological Bulletin, 1962, 59, 94–115.
Glass, D.C., & Singer, J.E. Experimental studies of uncontrollable and unpredictable noise. Representatwe Research in Social Psychology, 1973, 4, 165–180.
Godfrey, R. A review of research & evaluation literature on Outward Bound and related educational programs. Paper presented at the Conference on Experiential Education, Estes Park, CO, 1971.
Gregory, R.L. On how so little information controls so much behavior. In C. Waddington (Ed.), Towards a theoretical biology: Two sketches. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1969.
Harmon, P. The measurement of affective education. Unpublished report, Harmon Associates, San Francisco, 1974.
Harter, S. Effectance motivation reconsidered: Toward a developmental model. Human Development, 1978, 21, 34–64.
Hebb, D.O. The organization of behavior. New York: Wiley, 1949.
Houston, C.S. The last blue mountain. In S.Z. Klausner (Ed.), Why man takes chances. N.Y.: Doubleday & Co., 1968.
Huesmann, L.R. Cognitive processes and models of depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1978, 87, 194–198.
James, W. Psychology: The briefer course. (1892). N.Y.: Collier Books, 1962.
Kaplan, S. Attention and fascination: The search for cognitive clarity. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.), Ilumanscape: Environments for people. North Scituate, Ma.: Duxbury Press, 1978. (a)
Kaplan, S. On knowing the environment. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.), Humanscape: Environments for people. North Scituate, Ma.: Duxbury Press, 1978. (b)
Kaplan, S. & Kaplan, R. (Eds.) Humanscape: Environments for people. North Scituate, Ma.: Duxbury Press, 1978.
Kelley, H.H. Causal schemata and the attribution process. In E. Jones, D. Kanouse, H. Kelley, R. Nisbett, S. Valins, & B. Weiner (Eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behavior. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1972.
Kelly, F.J., & Baer, D.J. Physical challenge as a treatment for delinquency. Crime and Delinquency, Oct., 1971, 437–445.
Kelly, F.J. Outward Bound and delinquency: A ten year experience. Paper presented at Conference on Experiential Education, Estes Park, CO, 1974.
Klein, D., Fencil-Morse, E., & Seligman, M. Learned helplessness, depression, and the attribution of failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1976, 33, 508–516.
Kliman, A.S. Crisis: Psychological first-aid for recovery and growth. N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart & ; Winston, 1978.
Mettee, D.R. Rejection of unexpected sue cess as a function of the negative consequences of accepting success. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1971, 17, 332–341.
Pettigrew, T.F. Social evaluation theory: Convergences and applications. In D. Levine (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1967. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1967.
Rodin, J. Density, perceived choice, and response to controllable and uncontrollable outcomes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1976, 12, 564–578.
Rosenberg, M. Conceiving the self. N.Y.: Basic Books, 1979.
Rotter, J.B. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 1966, /, (whole no. 609).
Schachter, S. The psychology of affiliation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1959.
Schulze, J.R. An analysis of the impact of Outward Bound on twelve high schools. Unpublished report, Outward Bound, Inc., Reston, Va., 1971.
Seligman, M.E.P. Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. San Francisco: Freeman, 1975.
Seligman, M.E.P., & Maier, S.F. Failure to escape traumatic shock. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1967, 74, 1–9.
Sherrod, D.R., & Cohen, S. Density, personal control, and design. In S. Kaplan & R. Kaplan (Eds.), Humanscape: Environments for people. North Scituate, Mass.: Duxbury Press, 1978.
Smith, M.L., Gabriel, R., Schott, J., & Pädia, W.L. Evaluation of the effects of Outward Bound. In G. Glass (Ed.), Evaluation studies review annual (Vol. I). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1976.
Tennen, H. & Eller, S.J. Attributional components of learned helplessness and facilitation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1977, 35, 265–271.
Thomas, J.C. Cognitive psychology from the perspective of wilderness survival. Research report #28063, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Laboratory, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., 1977.
Tolman, E.G. Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review, 1948, 55, 189–203.
Valins, S., & Nisbett, R. Attribution processes in the development and treatment of emotional disorders. In E. Jones, D. Kanouse, H. Kelley, R. Nis, bett, S. Valins, & B. Weiner (Eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behavior. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1972.
Walsh, V., & Golins, G. The exploration of the Outward Bound Process. Unpublished report, Colorado Outward Bound, Denver, CO, 1976.
Weiner, B. (Ed.) Achievement motivation and attribution theory. Morris-town, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1974.
Weiner, B. A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1979, 71, 3–25.
Weiner, B., & Kun, A. The development of causal attributions and the growth of achievement and social motivation. In S. Feldman & D. Bush (Eds.), Cognitive development and social development. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1976.
Weiner, B., Kun, A., & Benesh-Weiner, M. The development of mastery, emotions, and morality from an attributional perspective. In Minnesota Symposium on Child Development (Vol. 13). Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1979.
Weiner, B., Russell, D., & Lerman, D. The cognition-emotion process in achievement-related contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, in press.
Weiner, B., Frieze, I.H., Kukla, A., Reed, L., Rest, S., & Rosenbaum, R.M. Perceiving the causes of success and failure. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1971.
Weisz, J.R., & Stipek, D. Developmental change in perceived control: A critical review of the locus of control research and a proposed reorientation. Psychological Bulletin, in press.
White, R. Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review, 1959, 66, 297–323.
Wohlwill, J. The concept of sensory overload. In J. Archea & C. Eastman (Eds.), EDRA II, Proceedings of the Second Annual Environmental Design Research Association Conference. Stroudsburg, Pa.: Dowden, Hutchinson, & Ross, 1970.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1980 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Newman, R.S. (1980). Alleviating Learned Helplessness in a Wilderness Setting: An Application of Attribution Theory to Outward Bound. In: Fyans, L.J. (eds) Achievement Motivation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-8997-3_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-8997-3_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-8999-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-8997-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive