OpEdNews' Editor-in-Chief: About "learned helplessness" of Obama's Liberal nay-sayers

[99th_Monkey]

November 6, 2008 at 09:39:24

Headlined on 11/6/08:
Emerging from the Bush/Cheney Cloud to Face PPPTSD and Learned Helplessness

by Rob Kall - OpEdNews.com

After eight years of the dark cloud and litany of abuses cast by the Bush/Cheney administration, many of us are dealing with PPPTSD-- political, partisan PTSD and learned helplessness, even though America is back in the light. There are some answers that could probably help anyone adversely touched by the last eight years.

We had some good news on Tuesday night. The end of an era/error is near at hand. I wear several hats. One involves the world of Positive Psychology, matter of fact, f or a good six or eight years, I’ve been posting on and participating in a positive psychology listserve group.

This morning, a study was reported, which showed that anticipating positive experiences is good for you. Over 20 years ago, I wrote a book, referenced below, which described a model I came up with, The anatomy of positive experience. One part of it described the idea of anticipation as a valuable element in having positive experience skills. So I commented on the study.

This conversation got me thinking about Obama's victory. The fact is, for the past eight years, we have been in a kind of hell, living under the cloud of Bush/Cheney rule, facing terrorism, unnecessary war, torture, invastions of privacy, economic catastrophy, the tearing down of the constitution, erosion of our democratic freedoms. Whether you're a liberal, moderate or conservative, this cloud has been real and it has done some damage to our psyches-- nationwide and world-wide.We've been suffering from Political, Partisan Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-- PPPTSD.

Suddenly, with Obama's win, the clouds have cleared, light has shown through and the future's possibilities are very different. As we crawl out of our Bush/Cheney "fallout shelters" and other assorted emotional holes in the ground, it is understandable that some of us may wince or flich at any sudden movements, have flashbacks, have difficulty trusting, have moments of anger, panic or fear.

Some of us will recover from PPPTSD faster than others. Some will find themselves stuck.

University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman did rat studies which demonstrated that if, several times, you shock a dog if it goes to one part of a cage, the rat stops going to that part of the cage even if you remove the shock. He called it Learned helplessness.

Now, as editor in-chief of opednews.com, I have been facing commenters who are angry, negative and who believed nothing would change regardless who was elected. Now, they are saying that nothing HAS changed. In some ways, they're demonstrating symptoms of learned helplessness, even though things may now, suddenly, be very different.

Seligman discovered that about a third of the dogs in the experiment did NOT develop learned helplessness. This finding contributed to Seligman studying OPTIMISM, and how some people are more optimistic than others. This research contributed to the development of the field of Positive Psychology and Seligman went on to become the president of the American Psychological Association and a pioneer in the field of positive psychology.

Frankly, before thinking through this PPPTSD aspect of the negative commenters, I was less tolerant of its victims. I was thinking, "The world has changed, things are better, there is more hope-- get with the program." But viewing these victims-- and they are from all ideologies-- through this lens, I'm finding more compassion and tolerance. Their negativity is inappropriate and is really not longer tolerable, but they need help, not chastisement.

Much more (5 pages in fact) here:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Emerging-from-the-Bush-Che-by-Rob-Kall-081106-264.html

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I read that book for psych class I took...very interesting stuff...

He also wrote a book called "Learned Optimism"

[99th_Monkey]

4. Cool. I love it when a text book actually becomes useful to ones real life.

I can totally relate to what the article is getting at, as DO I feel I was traumatized by the Bush/Cheney onslaughts,
to the point of gradually disengaging and hunkering down in my psychic fall-out shelter just to survive the ordeal.

When I learned Obama won, I immediately was overwhelmed with huge waves of relief, joy, anticipation, hope, etc. and
felt I like a huge weight had been lifted from my psychic shoulders. I felt lighter, more alive and clear headed.

Amazing stuff indeed.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. I know exactly what you mean. I told a friend that I felt like I had been a

hostage for 8 years..and finally was released by the Obama victory, and the knowledge that he would take over in January.

[99th_Monkey]

9. Well, at least McCain got one thing right ...

..."my fellow prisoners" ... :rofl:

So glad we can laugh about all this now.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Those of us who are more liberal than Obama,

...and want the military budget decreased while Obama wants it increased (for example), are being practical in not expecting to get our way.

[99th_Monkey]

10. That's awesome ... keep it lit Bro. ~nt~

[Eric J in MN]

11. You don't believe that anyone at DU is more liberal than Obama? NT

NT

[99th_Monkey]

12. Now where did I say that?

The whole premise of the post was that there ARE indeed people to the left of Obama on DU.

My appeal was directed specifically to them in fact, so your question isn't making much
sense to me.

[Eric J in MN]

13. OK, since he's the next president,

...and I'm not, and I'm more liberal,

I should be pessimistic that his agenda will resemble what I'd like to see.

Your post seems to imply that liberals shouldn't be pessimistic.

[99th_Monkey]

14. I'm actually in the same boat, as a supporter of Kucinich first, then Edwards ...

If I were any further "to the left" I'd have been organizing armed insurrection after the 2004
elections were buggered in Ohio.. Once I settled on Obama as my 3rd choice, I began to listen
more carefully to him, study his roots, his record and his way of dealing with his critics and
his many obstacles to winning the GE. By now, he's earned my respect and my loyalty, base on
what I've seen and learned about him.

Obama is the first to admit he "won't be a perfect President", yet there's a genuine openness, an
invitation to the 80% of Amercans who are "to the left" of the criminal Bush/Cheney Cabal to pull
together in our own collective self-interest; which resulted in 11th hour endorsements from the
likes of Colin Powell, which in turn helped create the historic landslide we witnessed in this
election. Can we say "mandate" yet? I think so.

We all need to understand how close we came to completely going over the Edge ... into The
Jaws of The Abyss of no return. But now, due to the election results, we actually again have a choice,
we have a moment in history to pull together as a people and tackle the problems facing us with a
renewed sense of creativity and possibility. I really do feel it's my "patriotic duty" to answer
Obama's call, to chill, to self-reflect deeply on what's at stake here; even if that means putting
my far-Leftist views on the back burner until Obama's second term.

For example, if I had my way, EVERY US corporation would need to be IMMEDIATELY re-chartered to
certify it's "benefit to the community" status; as that was the original deal that was made when
the fat cats started forming corporations trying to avoid personal responsibility for their abuse
of workers, of the environment, etc. Those corporations who refuse, should be "nationalized" and
turned into worker-owned enterprises, in order to anchor jobs and capital in local communities and
clamp down on capital flight, and create a new "green outsource-proof" industrial base to help rebuild
the economy.

Now I could spend all my time harping on how "disappointed" I am ... whinning that Obama's "not
liberal enough" for me; OR I can begin organizing myself to promote worker-ownership as an essential
tool or building block in creating a stronger greener economy.

I'm choosing the later path, and I humbly encourage you and others on DU "to the left of Obama" to
do the same. I guess that about sums it up.

[ROh70]

3. Good stuff. Helps explain all the craziness on the liberal blogs right now.

[99th_Monkey]

6. What's a blog to do? ... when it's sole mission is to expose Bush's corruption & incompetence.

Anti-Bush/Cheney blogs have become a huge cottage industry, so maybe their panicking too without
their favorite Nemesis to kick around.

[Sophree]

5. PPPTSD

Now I have a name for what I've been suffering from! ;-)

I hope I'm one of those quick bounce backers! For what it's worth, I believe that things have changed and am very optimistic about Obama and our future...

Sending positive vibes and energy out to the still-suffering. :hippie:

[99th_Monkey]

8. ME TOO!! That's why it got my attention.

But I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones, in that I felt so completely transformed and uplifted upon
learning Obama won, and sharing that moment of elation and joy with the whole freaking planet.

I had felt so beaten down by Bush/Cheney assaults on my sensibilities by the election, that I had all but
given up on politics and activism altogether... now I'm "fired up" to participate in healing our nation
with Obama at the helm. ;-)