A psychological state in which an individual does not feel a connection between his actions and their results leads to passivity, refusal of active actions, unwillingness to change the situation, although such a possibility exists. The concept of learned helplessness was formulated in 1967 by American psychologists Martin Seligman and Stephen Mayer based on studies of dog behavior. They found that animals that could not avoid painful sensations then, even when given the opportunity, did not do so. Later, the effect was confirmed for humans: after a series of unsuccessful attempts to influence negative factors (for example, loud noise), the person became convinced of his helplessness and no longer tried to relieve the discomfort. At the same time, in the 2000s, the concept was rethought and declared obsolete by the authors themselves.