Learned helplessness: a model to understand and overcome a child's extreme reaction to failure

The author reviews literature on children's reactions to perceived failure and offers suggestions for preventing these reactions. Learned helplessness is a model offered to explain why a child who makes a mistake gives up even though competent to succeed. Sex differences in reactions to failure and feedback about failure from others are reviewed as well as different effects which perceived failure has upon the performances of helpless versus competent children. Attributions regarding success and failure emerge as a significant factor in children's behavior. A workshop format is offered as a form of consulting with classroom teachers concerned over children's extreme reaction to failure.