The question has bounced around in my thinking for a long time. Why do some people leave Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) and some folks stay – for years. Many who know my story, know why I continually consider the question. My children and grandchildren remain in WOFF.

So, yes. This question is a big one.

A few months ago, while reading somewhere about a related question, I was introduced to the “learned helplessness” concept. On its surface, I felt it offered some explanation as to why adults with above average intelligence added to other “normal” aspects of their lives- continue to live in the WOFF closed subculture. For that matter, why do adults of any age or level of engagement in any control group stay in that group? This concept offered me some answers at the time.

In brief, the “learned helplessness” concept came from the work of two researchers. The following comes from “Psychology Today.”

“The term (learned helplessness) was coined in 1967 by the American psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier. The pair was conducting research on animal behavior that involved delivering electric shocks to dogs. Dogs who learned that they couldn’t escape the shock stopped trying in subsequent experiments, even when it became possible to avoid the shock by jumping over a barrier.”

 “The phenomenon exists in many animal species as well as in people. For example, Seligman subjected study participants to loud, unpleasant noises, with a lever that would or would not stop the sounds. The group whose lever wouldn’t stop the sound in the first round stopped trying to silence the noise in the second round.”

“The experience is characterized by three main features: a passive response to trauma, not believing that trauma can be controlled, and stress.”

In my mind, the concept answered the underlying questions of not only why people remain, but what mechanisms apply to continued membership.

Remaining in WOFF depends on a member showing a “passive response to trauma”- not resisting the continuous declaration from a WOFF leader that they are totally wrong and full of sin, while at the same time believing there is nothing they could do to stop this frequent and overwhelming proclamation. As a result, they assume the safest and least stressful posture of agreement and play that role.

As the weeks slip into months and the months roll into years; their position in the hierarchy is cast. They are frozen in the sea of “learned helplessness” never thinking they are worthy of more. The weight of WOFF-life keeps them from fighting back. They stay in “their place” as a worker bee. Before too long, they lose hope that life outside of WOFF is worth pursuing. After all, if they “leave the move of God, they will die early and go to hell…”

Let me give recognition to those that discount the equitable transfer of the dynamics of animal (dog) behavior to human behavior. I understand. It is a stretch for many.

And then COVID-19 lands in the United States and for many, life during these last few weeks has played out like a bad movie from which you cannot change the channel or mute the volume. Where is my remote control? These have been some extremely stressful and trying weeks.

People begin feeling overwhelmed and knowing they are not involved in the direct answer to this trauma, they see themselves as passive bystanders whose participation is staying home, washing their hands, and wearing a mask. Their actions pale compared to the enormity of the crisis. Some feel overwhelmed and many have become stressed.

Do we exhibit “learned helplessness” and just go with the stressful flow?

That is where I found myself in the last few days.  Fighting the notion that it is pointless, what benefit is there to all this restraint? I told someone- “I feel numb inside.”

Until yesterday.

In the early morning, I searched for more information on the “learned helplessness” concept. In the results was this article, “Learned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience” by Steven F. Maier and Martin E. P. Seligman

My excitement soared. This article will help me learn! With eagerness, I started reading this lengthy work filled with new words, ideas, and concepts. It took my over two hours. I stopped at some point to forward the link to a dear friend who also had questions about the application of “learned helplessness” to cult life.

The authors cited many sources of newer learning garnered after their first observations in 1967. After all, neuroscience has opened many more doors for real time observation and experimentation to test the theories of previous years.

The paper is not light reading. Several of the descriptive terms I was familiar with from other sources in the field of influence. The many resources quoted and the logical progression of thought development around the central question of “learned helplessness” was easy to follow, however, I found myself rereading certain paragraphs with new terms and concepts. This post is not intended as a full review of the resource paper.

With those notions in place, I will extract a few concepts and share my views.

“Learned helplessness, the failure to escape shock induced by uncontrollable aversive events, was discovered half a century ago. Seligman and Maier (1967) theorized that animals learned that outcomes were independent of their responses—that nothing they did mattered – and that this learning undermined trying to escape.”

My intentions are not to over generalize. What “uncontrollable aversive events” occur in WOFF? Might the continual application of ever-changing unwritten rules and the penalty for breaking these rules be seen by members as “uncontrollable aversive events”? Accounting not only for the known rules- but for the known rules and new undiscovered rules which will be imposed every week? The regular member is subject to the “shocks” of breaking unwritten and sometimes, previously unknown rules.

“The mechanism of learned helplessness is now very well-charted biologically and the original theory got it backwards. Passivity in response to shock is not learned. It is the default, unlearned response to prolonged aversive events and it is mediated by the serotonergic activity of the dorsal raphe nucleus, which in turn inhibits escape.

The “default, unlearned response to prolonged aversive events”? This is a key observation which I believe gives credence to my theory about members just accepting their place in the hierarchy. They accept the idea of their inability to “hear God” live apart from “the gift of God in Jane.”

“This passivity can be overcome by learning control, with the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex, which subserves the detection of control leading to the automatic inhibition of the dorsal raphe nucleus.”

“…learning control.”

The experiments detailing how an animal and by similarity- people learn control over the events or the prospect of future events, is intriguing. Can we control events, or can we control our response to events around us? I believe we control our response to events.

“…passive failure to learn to escape is an unlearned reaction to prolonged aversive stimulation.”

After extended negative events, our “nature” is to give-up and live as we are treated. Does this ring true? Ask any speaker who is tasked with helping turn one person or one hundred folks from negative thinking to more hopeful and positive thinking. It is not easy.

The main body of the paper outlines several experiments, theories and findings involving the detection of escapable negative experiences and inescapable negative experiences. The neural pathways transmitting biochemicals to react one way or another are explained. I found it fascinating, however, I don’t feel comfortable enough to extract lengthy passages for comment.

The details showing how different parts of the brain work and where we learn what situations are within our ability to escape (avoid long term consequences) or not avoid (suffer long term passivity and/or depression) were amazing. While explaining knowledge that was supported by data, the authors also pointed out where more research was needed.

Included in this paper is a discussion of different therapies to treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The approach of each type of therapy is compared to the new knowledge and unconfirmed theories and how improvements may occur.

One main point of the paper was the newest understanding how the brain determines which events are controllable (for positive outcomes) and uncontrollable (suffer negative outcomes and defense responses). The length of this effect and whether the “knowledge” would transfer to other similar situations. This was the authors way to explain “hope.”

“In conclusion, the neural circuitry underlying the phenomenon of learned helplessness strongly suggests that helplessness was not learned in the original experiments. Rather passivity and heightened anxiety are the default mammalian reaction to prolonged bad events. What can be learned is cortical—that bad events will be controllable in the future. The top-down circuitry that descends from the ventromedial prefrontal cortex down to the dorsal raphe nucleus and other structures acts to inhibit this default. We are mindful that in the theory of explanatory style, “hope” consists largely in the habit of expecting that future bad events will not be permanent, global, and uncontrollable, rather they will be temporary, local and controllable (Seligman, 1991, pp. 48-49). Such expectations are likely the best natural defense against helplessness and we speculate that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex-dorsal raphe nucleus circuit may be usefully thought of as the “hope circuit.” (emphasis added)

There you have it. An explanation of “hope” and where it can be shown as active in the brain and why “hope” is vital. We “hope” for better outcomes and avoid passivity and depression. We hold on to our hope that how others see us is not the end or our final outcome. We are not “helpless” when we are hopeful! We can change.

Keep your hope alive!

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Thank you, for taking time to visit and read this blog. Please, consume the information on this site responsibly. The author is not a licensed mental health professional and encourages those that need professional help to seek it. The intent of the material is to inform and be a resource. Be sure to tell every member that you know at WOFF about this blog. There are readers at WOFF. Jane told me and Josh confirmed it.

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Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation) This is post number 679.