Question

A sense of control is important in the impact of a stressor. Learned helplessness occurs when an organism, through a perceived lack of control, does not attempt to avoid aversive or painful stimuli. Which of these statements accurately describes how self-efficacy, behavioral control, and the locus of control affect learned helplessness in students ?

• A. Students with weak self-efficacy, an external locus of control, and lacking behavioral control are not able to successfully challenge stressors. These students are more likely to experience learned helplessness.
• B. Students with weak self-efficacy, an internal locus of control, and who exhibit behavioral control are able to successfully challenge stressors. These students are unlikely to experience learned helplessness.
• C. Students with strong self-efficacy, an external locus of control, but lacking behavioral control are able to successfully challenge stressors. These students are unlikely to experience learned helplessness.
• D. Students with strong self-efficacy, an internal locus of control, and who exhibit behavioral control are able to successfully challenge stressors. These students are more likely to experience learned helplessness.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Students with weak self-efficacy, an external locus of control, and lacking behavioral control are not able to successfully challenge stressors. These students are more likely to experience learned helplessness.

• A student with behavioral control is able to take action to reduce aversive or uncomfortable stimuli (stress) and deal with challenges.
• Weak self-efficacy is associated with increased physiological and psychological stress because the student believes that he or she will not be successful.
• An internal locus of control is associated with individuals who feel in control of situational outcomes. An external locus of control is associated with individuals who feel environmental factors have more influence on situational outcomes.
• It is believed that students with an external locus of control are more likely than students with an internal locus of control to experience learned helplessness, due to the belief that the cause of the stressor is not controlled by the student. A student with an internal locus of control can experience learned helplessness if the cause of the stressor is judged to be an internal characteristic that is static or unable to be changed.
• Students with weak self-efficacy, an external locus of control, and lacking behavioral control are not able to successfully challenge stressors. This student is likely to experience learned helplessness.