PSYCHOLOGY
took the shocks without resistance. They learned helplessness. When these conditioned rats were then put in a different setting in which they could avoid the shocks, they didn’t even try. They had stopped assessing the situation and acted as if they were helpless, even when they were not.
In a companion study, the element of control was the key: When uncondi- tioned rats were given a warning be- fore the shock occurred, the rats fared better. They were less stressed and more rested between shocks. As you might imagine, the group that was allowed to avoid the shock altogether showed the least frustration, aging, and behavior change.
Optimism Means Business How to stay tuned into the positive in every situation
JIM TUNNEY
Life isn’t perfect; ergo, blessed be the optimistic, for they shall endure. Optimism is a personal psy- chological freedom. Anyone can have it. Anyone can use it. And everyone needs it.
According to psychologist Martin Seligman from the University of Pennsylvania, the best prescription for a winning sales team: Hire only optimists – you’ll have a leg up on successful outcomes. That’s because, rather than give in and give up, opti- mists find ways to overcome obstacles and disappointments.
26 | JUNE 2018 SELLING POWER © 2018 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
Seligman began developing his theory about successful attitudes back in the 1960s, after a series of experi- ments in which rats in a controlled situation were repeatedly subjected to painful and inescapable electric shocks. At first the rats tried to escape the shocks; but, after they learned they had no control, they gave up and
Seligman then asked himself: If ani- mals can learn helplessness, can they learn hopefulness? If so, how much like rats are people in this respect? Seligman, with others, went on to develop cognitive therapy, a process by which insight and self-discovery lead to a reshaping of a person’s at- titude. Clinically depressed patients were taught how to look at situations in a different light, identify the control they had over various situations, and reframe their actions and responses. Depressed people often feel they have no control over their lives. By learning how to realistically assess the range of options available to them, patients became more resourceful in coping with regular living situations. Results were seen within three months. The patients’ attitudes improved, their energy level and responsiveness increased, and they started making stronger choices for themselves. Today, cognitive therapy is a mainstay in psychological treat- ment – although detractors still chal- lenge it, insisting there must be more to fixing what ails seriously depressed people than guiding them to a more optimistic attitude. However, through their patients, many psychologists join Seligman in routinely demonstrating that, just as people can learn helpless- ness, they can learn hopefulness. We can change our minds, as well
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