In 1965, Martin Seligman was conducting an experiment to study the relationship between fear and learning in dogs. This experiment was divided into two parts.

In the first part, Seligman would ring a bell before administering a small shock to a dog. This was repeated several times until the dog learned to associate the bell with the shocking sensation. Eventually, the dog would show fear-related behavior when the bell rang, which indicated its acknowledgment of the association between the shock and bell tone.

In the second part of the experiment, the dogs that were conditioned in the first part to feel fear at the ring of a bell were placed in a crate with two compartments. The side of the crate the dogs were placed on had an electrified floor and the other side did not. The two compartments in the crate were divided by a low fence, which the dog could see and jump over easily. Seligman administered a shock from the floor and expected the dogs to jump to the other side. However, the conditioned dogs would simply sit down and accept the shocks from the floor. Non-conditioned dogs, who were not a part of the prior experiment, were then put into the crate, administered the same shock, and instead would immediately jump to the other side.

Seligman concluded that the conditioned dog had learned that trying to escape the shocks was futile, and thus would not try to escape it even in the new environment of the second experiment. He described this condition as learned helplessness and used it as a model for his future research in explaining depression.

Throughout my life, I have met many individuals who struggle with varying levels of depression and mental health issues, including members of my immediate family. I am so happy that mental health is becoming less and less of a taboo subject, however, it saddens me when I recognize the number of people that suffer from these mental health issues. Studies, such as this one done by Martin Seligman, show how easily someone can become accustomed to psychological damage and degradation. The conditioned dogs had an easy escape from the shocks directly in front of them, but they felt so helpless after several previous shocks that they accepted their state instead of reaching safety. This is directly applicable to humans struggling with depression who are unable to find an escape.

Hearing a loved one say that they are worthless and do not want to be alive is heart-wrenching, especially when you are able to see the incredible life ahead of them and they cannot seem to see or feel past their current emotional state. Although Seligman’s experiment may not be morally acceptable today (I mean no one wants a cute dog getting shocked), I hope that there is a push for breakthrough psychological research in the field of mental health. Increasing knowledge about diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues will lead to growth in acceptance and societal change that benefits those who struggle with their mental health.