Hope vs helplessness

This edition of ‘The Resilience Brief’ is inspired by a reader all the way from Western Australia who sent me a podcast she thought I’d find interesting. It WAS interesting and prompted me to write this one. I love it when people share new ideas with me so please keep them coming.

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1994 was an exceptionally good year for films. In fact, three films from that year appear ridiculously high on the IMDB top films of all time. Can you guess them?

Forrest Gump (#11), Pulp Fiction (#8), and The Shawshank Redemption (#1), all released in 1994.

Incredible that Shawshank came in at #1 of all time! Where would you put it?

Shawshank was a flop when it first hit the cinemas. It wasn’t a typical big-budget or action film, and even though Tim Robbins was known as an actor, he wasn’t a superstar. No one went to see it on the big screen.

However, critics loved it and, after it was nominated for awards, word spread and EVERYONE saw it on video (remember those?). It’s extremely rare to come across anyone who hasn’t seen it.

So what is it that makes this film so remarkable? I think there are several reasons, but high at the top of the list is that the film itself is about an important topic: hope.

And we all like to hold onto a bit of hope.

Let’s talk about rats for a second.

In 1957, researcher Curt Richter conducted an experiment where rats were placed in jars of water to see how long they would swim before giving up. On average, they could last about 15 minutes before they sadly drowned.

However, with this knowledge of 15 minutes, Richter adjusted the experiment to intervene just before the 15 minute mark. He would reach in and rescue the rats, dry them off, give them a brief rest and then place them back in the water.

How long would we guess they were able to swim for after that?

Less than 15 mins? Or more?

Well, as it turns out, they swam for longer this time. A lot longer. In fact, some ended up swimming for over 60 hours!

How is that even possible?

The research offered a fascinating insight. Richter concluded that hope (or a belief that the situation was not inescapable) was a decisive factor in how long the rats continued swimming. They had been rescued before, so they had reason to hope that it could happen again.

It’s fascinating how just a glimmer of hope can completely change the capacity to endure. And perhaps, in the right frame of mind, we can hang on for longer than we think possible.

The flip side of hope - helplessness.

Ten years later, in the late 1960s, psychologist Martin Seligman conducted a different study.

It started with dogs placed in a harness, unable to move. While restrained, they were exposed to mild electric shocks. For one group of dogs, there was a panel they could press with their nose to stop the shocks. For the second group, there was no way to stop them. The shocks came at random, and nothing the dogs did made a difference. A third group (a control group) received no shocks at all.

After this, all of the dogs were placed in another setup: a large box with a low barrier in the middle. Shocks were again administered, but this time the dogs could easily escape by jumping over the barrier to the other side of the box, where the shocks would stop.

Here’s what happened:

• The dogs who had learned they could control the shocks in the earlier phase jumped the barrier quickly and escaped.

• The dogs who hadn’t been shocked at all also escaped easily.

• But the dogs who had learned that nothing they did could stop the shocks didn’t even try. They just lay down and gave up.

Despite the fact that escape was now entirely possible, the final group had internalized the belief that nothing they did could change their situation. They had learned to be helpless, even when they weren’t anymore.

Unfortunately this learned helplessness can also happen in our own worlds.

When life repeatedly shows us that our efforts don’t make a difference (perhaps we’re ignored, unseen, or unsuccessful despite trying) it’s easy to stop trying altogether. We retreat. We numb out. We endure what we don’t believe we can change.

Back to Shawshank.

The beauty of this film is that it has a wonderful twist (the escape) and ending (a reunion on a beach in Mexico). It’s a feel-good finale that reminds us that there is good in the world and, if we believe it, we can keep moving forward.

I must reinforce that hope is not about wishful thinking (the film shows us that). It comes with doing the work and going through hell. Andy (Tim Robbins) took years to build the tunnel, and he had to endure endless suffering and brutality before he had the opportunity to escape.

So, what can give us hope? Here are six things I try to remember.

• Small wins. Tiny wins remind us we still have agency and momentum.

• Seek hopeful company. Surround ourselves with people who are also hopeful.

• Remember. Tap into moments we've overcome hell before.

• Reframe. Shift our inner dialogue from finality to (realistic) possibility.

• Help someone else. Offering support to others builds purpose and connection.

• Make meaning. Find purpose in the struggle. It gives pain some meaning.

Finally, I want to be clear that there is a huge difference between frustrations at work and serious trauma. Asking someone who has been through significant trauma or abuse to ‘be more grateful’ (for example) isn’t the solution. I would suggest professional counselling or medical assistance in that case.

However, I do firmly believe that, if we can focus on building these tools in advance of challenges, we are best prepared for the imminent stress that will come our way, especially in the work environment.

And, if disaster strikes, hope will be on our side.

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carre @ Resilient Minds

PS - A reminder that I help organizations, individuals and school kids improve their mindset and resilience with a series of workshops and presentations. If you’re interested in setting something up to help your team get through change and challenges, let’s connect.