[dan00]

> Learned helplessness is when you are suffering no matter what you do so you stop making any attempts to lessen your suffering because you learned nothing works.

I'm really confused by your reasoning, because you also said that you experienced ways of handling your boredom to suffer less, and then you called it a learned helplessness, which is exactly the opposite.

By your definition an addict isn't helpless, because he can reduce his suffering by just taking drugs.

Not being able to handle your emotions, to soften them and to have some degree of control over your actions, is IMHO a kind of learned helplessness.

I think quite a few people learned to handle their emotions in non constructive ways - I certainly have my own bad habits - by doing something to feel better, watch TV, eat too much or whatever else.

[scotty79]

> By your definition

It's not my definition. It's THE definition. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness

> addict isn't helpless, because he can reduce his suffering by just taking drugs.

Yes. Being an addict has nothing to do with learned helplessness.

> you experienced ways of handling your boredom to suffer less,

No. I didn't do anything. Just my suffering turned into apathy and I didn't suffer as much.

> Not being able to handle your emotions, to soften them and to have some degree of control over your actions, is IMHO a kind of learned helplessness.

Then update your definition of learned helplesness to match THE definition of learned helplessness. The thing you have in mind is called emotional dysregulation disorder , I think.