learned helplessness

●Dan Ariely, “Deconstructing consumer confidence”（Predictably Irrational, August 28, 2008）

We have a market paradox on our hands. Consumer confidence is close to a 40-year low, suggesting that the economy is in worse shape now than in times that seemed far darker, such as the early 1980s, when both inflation and unemployment crept into double digits. Yet many of the current economic indicators, including inflation and unemployment, are rather positive — or at least not as negative as consumer sentiment implies.

So why are consumers, myself included, so gloomy?

I suspect that one answer lies in a psychological condition caused by prolonged exposure to unpredictable negative events called “learned helplessness.”

But we still need to think about how to prevent such economic shocks. In fact, in our current vulnerable state, I am worried that another immediate shock — most likely to occur in the healthcare market — could be too much for us to bear.

I suspect that the only way to regain a sense of order, predictability and control is to have government take very clear and substantial steps to regulate the markets

人々がlearned helplessnessから脱却する上で最も重要な役割を果たすはずの組織が、実は人々がlearned helplessnessに陥る原因でもあったとしたらどうだろうか*1。それって何ていうマッチポンプ、という話だけれども、火をつけておいてそのまま放置してるんだからマッチポンプでさえない。火消しに乗り出すどころか傍観という名の様子見戦略を通じて自らhelplessnessを表現してみせたり。救いがない（＝helpless）とはまさにこのこと。

*1:繰り返される失敗、後手後手に回る対策→「どうせまた同じこと繰り返すんでしょ。何言ったって駄目なんでしょ」→learned helplessness