Learned Hopefulness for Social Workers
There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe. —Robert A. Heinlein
In the 1970s, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman coined the phrase "learned helplessness."
The idea is that some people may, over an extended period of time, become accustomed to failure, roadblocks, and setbacks. Someone with a "helpless" mindset may believe or say to themselves:
• I can't make a difference.
• Why even try?
• Nothing I do will help.
• It doesn't matter.
• Other people have to take care of me.
Dr. Seligman believed that learned helplessness could be a cause for depression. It makes sense, right?
Of course we all deal with failure. It's part of human nature. And when social workers are faced with endless rules, bureaucracy, and systems that often hurt more than they help, it can be tempting to be discouraged. We might even begin to believe that we are powerless.
If helplessness can be learned then perhaps the same is true for hopefulness.
You might even consider yourself to be a positive person in other areas of your life. Friends may believe that we see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. You may be the one encouraging others, giving pep talks, and telling colleagues that you believe in them.
But hopefulness as a self-care strategy is different. You don't want to save that inspiration for others. You want to encourage yourself.
Today I'd love for you to spend some time reflecting on a few questions:
• Do I allow myself to be hopeful in spite of all that goes wrong in any given day?
• Do I discount the small successes in my day and only give myself credit for those big wins that only come along once in awhile?
• Do I celebrate the little sparks of hope, joy, and love I see throughout my day?
It's easy to be discouraged. Brave social workers know that hopefulness is a practice to be cultivated just like any other professional skill.
This is something you can do to help yourself (and your clients) today.