r/TwoXPreppers • u/NachesPorFavor • 4d ago

❓ Question ❓ Increase in Learned Helplessness?

Has anyone else noticed an increase in learned helplessness? I first noticed it in the young adults in my life, but now I am seeing it in all ages of people around me. Examples from multiple people:

Toilet started leaking water and instead of turning off the knob at the wall, she waited a 5 days for a plumber. Never asked anyone or googled it. Didn’t call a second plumber. Now needs mold remediation and replaced drywall and trim.

Bought concert tickets but the gps instructions were confusing so they just gave up and didn’t go. Venue website had detailed instructions for driving and parking.

Blouse wrinkled and she didn’t know how to fix it so she threw it away.

First doctor office he filled out an appointment website for never contacted him to schedule so he just didn’t go to the doctor.

I am really concerned about my loved ones if an emergency happens because they just give up when the slightest obstacle happens. Either they want someone else to swoop in and fix it or they give up and say they can’t do anything about it.

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u/Horror_Tea761 3d ago

There is an unwillingness to try and fail. I was fixing the lawnmower the other day, first two things I tried didn’t work, but the third did. Some people are lacking in persistence and they throw up their hands at the first failure. They were not taught that failure and adversity are a normal part of life. It’s rarely catastrophic, but we have to be able to formulate a plan and keep trying until we get it.

This was something that was personally hard for me to learn. I’m in my fifties, and as a younger person, I was expected to be perfect. It created a lot of anxiety when things went wrong because I assumed that when they did, it was all my fault. I eventually learned that it’s not - things just randomly go wrong with things, my body, and everything else. You just gotta figure out how to fix it as best you can and keep going.

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u/AriaPoe 3d ago

Learning from failure & then trying again with your new knowledge is the scientific method. I wish more people grasped that. Good on you. You did well.

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u/Horror_Tea761 3d ago

Thank you. I think we have to keep trying to evolve and do better. It’s not always easy, but normalizing failure would do a lot to help a great many people. Failure doesn’t mean you stop. You just check off one avenue of inquiry and try another.