ABSTRACT
This chapter reports research findings on emotions and physiological reactions to uncontrollable stress. This research was guided by three general theoretical concepts: First, Seligman’s revised theory of learned helplessness (Abramson, Teasdale, & Seligman, 1978) defines an internal, stable, and global attribution style (AS) as one of the prerequisites for the development of depression. The other prerequisite for depression, derived from Seligman’s (1975) earlier theory, states that an experienced noncontingency between behavior and an aversive uncontrollable stimulus elicits helplessness that is manifested in emotional, motivational, and cognitive deficits (Seligman, 1975).
