Learned helplessness

The Battered Woman Syndrome

Continued abuse generates in the victim a pathological process of adaptation known clinically as the "battered woman syndrome", formulated by psychologist Lenore Walker and based on Martin Seligman's theory of learned helplessness.

This psychological state occurs when a person is repeatedly subjected to painful or traumatic situations from which she cannot escape, or where her attempts to modify the outcome are systematically unsuccessful.

In the context of the couple, the woman learns that violence is inevitable and that it does not depend on her actions.

Whether she remains silent, screams, is compliant or rebels, the end result is always abuse or contempt.

This lack of contingency between her behavior and the consequences leads her to believe that she has no control over her life.

Paralysis of the will

The direct consequence of this learning is total passivity. The victim develops a deep conviction that there is no solution to her problems, which nullifies her ability to respond.

Even when real opportunities to escape or call for help present themselves, learned helplessness prevents him from seeing or acting on them.

He remains immobile, waiting for directives from third parties that rarely come, or simply awaiting the next emotional blow with resignation.

From the outside, this behavior is often misinterpreted as a lack of interest in solving the problem ("if he wanted to leave, he would leave"), when in fact it is an acquired psychological inability to initiate any lifesaving action.

The low behavioral response

To survive in this hostile environment, the victim minimizes her behavioral responses. He adopts an attitude of apparent indifference or automatic submission.

The underlying logic is that, if he becomes invisible or stops fighting, perhaps the punishment will be less or hurt less.

This strategy of "playing dead" emotionally has a double edge: on the one hand, it momentarily reduces friction with the aggressor, but on the other, it severely limits his ability to oppose the aggressions, reinforcing the cycle of dominance.

Moreover, this state is often accompanied by an identification with the aggressor, where the victim comes to believe that he/she deserves the treatment he/she receives, thus closing the circle of hopelessness.

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