Specifics of Relationship Between Stress and Helplessness in Adolescence

Abstract

Background. The article considers the problem of helplessness and its contribution to the experience of everyday and traumatic stress. The relevance of the analysis of psychological aspects of helplessness is due to its currently ambiguous interpretation as a consequence of a lack of interpersonal resources, including regulatory ones, and as a personality trait, and as a state of confusion and indifference caused by objective circumstances.

Objective. Theoretical and empirical analysis of the specifics of relationship between stress and helplessness in adolescence.

Methods. Theoretical analysis of literature, comparative analysis of the results of empirical studies on the problem of relationship between stress and helplessness.

Results. The paper presents a theoretical and empirical analysis of helplessness experience and its manifestations in different types of stressful situations, taking into account the level of perceived stress and coping strategies. In order to analyze helplessness as a cause of stress and as its consequence, the data of empirical studies conducted by the author on child and adolescent samples have been compared with the results of studying everyday stress in adults (Golovey et al., 2018). The analysis shows the differences in the experience of everyday and traumatic stress and the role of helplessness in coping with the negative consequences of different types of stress.

Conclusions. Helplessness as a consequence of the stressor’s impact and the stress experienced in response acts as a marker of the novelty of the situation for the subject and a signal to move to active actions aimed at solving the problem. In case of chronic stress, the content of any situation is reduced to the experience of helplessness, regardless of the situation specifics. There are age differences in the experience of helplessness as an independent stressor.

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