Learned Helplessness on the Field In humans, learned helplessness can be produced when negative events are perceived as uncontrollable. Even highly trained athletes can succumb to feelings of learned helplessness in the face of persistent defeats. Athletes who believe that they have no control over the factors that led to their loss or poor performance are less likely to believe that they can succeed in the future (Coffee & others, 2009). They’re also less likely to persist in the face of failure (Le Foll & others, 2008).
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