Task performance in spinal cord injury: effect of helplessness training.

The effects of failure or helplessness training on the task performance of recently injured spinal cord patients were assessed using the learned helplessness theory as a model. The theory states that individuals who experience uncontrollable failure become depressed and feel helpless, while those who experience self-controlled success develop a sense of competence and feel industrious. To provide validation of the learned helplessness theory, 24 recently injured spinal cord patients were interviewed and then tested for helplessness effects and depression on 2 standard learned helplessness tasks. Results suggest that it may be possible to immunize spinal cord injured patients against debilitating emotional reactions to paralysis with a success-oriented rehabilitation regime during the initial stages of recovery.