You Bring Me Joy: Do Not Allow Being Forced to Wear a Face Mask Lead You to ‘Learned Helplessness’

Writing for and ministering to you brings me joy beloved. So I have a serious question for you to contemplate.

Does forcing some people to wear face masks lead to learned helplessness and other spiritual, emotional and psychiatric abnormalities?

I believe that some people who wear face masks against their own will may eventually suffer from learned helplessness – but that you can overcome the adverse learning with “learned optimism” in the Holy Spirit of the Lord the Comforter.

Learned helplessness occurs when an individual continuously faces a negative, uncontrollable situation and stops trying to change their circumstances even when they have the ability to do so.

American psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier are credited with coining the phrase "learned helplessness" in 1967 while researching and experimenting animal behavior – later finding that learned helplessness can occur in other animal species and humans, too.

Seligman and Maier delivered electric shocks to dogs and discovered that dogs that 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.

Seligman also experimented by subjecting humans 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 of experimentation stopped trying to silence the noise in the second round.

In the real world, learned helplessness can emerge from - and contribute to – “sheeple” herd mentality, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. During a depressive episode for instance, someone may believe that nothing will end their anguish so they stop seeking help completely.

I propose that the same affect may occur among humans who don’t want to wear masks - and who resisted at first - until faced with losing a job, not being able to enter a grocery store, ride a bus, plane or train unless a face covering is worn. People learn to give up resistance and to follow the sheep herd.

You should follow the Good Shepherd instead of the sheep heard. The Good Shepherd is Jesus Christ who died on the cross of crucifixion, was dead, buried, but arose on the third day just like He said he would. He also said these words found in John 11:

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

Now, Seligman also later developed the concept of learned optimism by explaining events to ourselves in a constructive manner and developing a positive internal dialogue, people can break free from a cycle of helplessness.

People took action like pointing out the extremely high percent virus survival rate, taking part in peaceful public face mask demonstrations, pulling the face mask down around the chin, taking the face mask off or organizing in-store protests that contributed to learned optimism.

Now the real Christians walked around proclaiming passages from Psalms 91:

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord beloved. Bring yourself joy by leaning on the everlasting arms of God the Gospel Savior.

Long live the Gospel of Jesus Christ!