Learned Helplessness vs. the Widescreen Life

In previous articles, I've described some of the real-world applications of the improv tenet "Weave mistakes into the larger pattern." In particular, I talked about living a widescreen life - not just focusing on a few missteps in the here and now and interpreting them as "failures" but stepping back, suspending judgment, and seeing how those supposed missteps might be part of a larger, more comprehensive, more positive story.

Let's take an example of such a supposed misstep – not being selected for a much-desired job - and consider the different ways in which you might explain the event to yourself. You could say things like:

"That was my golden opportunity - I'll never get another chance like that!"


"I really messed up my answer to one question - that's why they rejected me!"


"I'm really not that impressive a person - I guess they saw that!"

Or you might say:

“Other opportunities will come along – maybe even better ones!”


“For some reason, they just didn’t see me as the best match for this position!”


“I’ve got a strong track record in my field, and I’m sure my strengths will be recognized!”

Each of these statements is a reflection of an explanatory style, a concept described by Martin Seligman, Steven Maier, and Christopher Peterson in their book Learned Helplessness. The first group of explanations illustrates the pessimistic style, in which events are framed as permanent (“It will never change”), personal (“It’s my fault”), and pervasive (“I can’t do anything right”).

By contrast, the second set of explanations reflects the optimistic style, which identifies the possible negative interpretations of the event, evaluates their validity, and generates a more balanced and accurate characterization.

Seligman believes that cognitive therapy techniques can help people create better stories from their life events and thereby develop learned optimism, avoiding the negative outcomes (such as low self-esteem and depression) that chronic learned helplessness can produce.

For the Daily Improviser, then, living a widescreen life involves more than just taking the broad and long view. It’s also about developing a compelling positive narrative – in real-time – based on that view, one that incorporates another important improviser’s goal: "Seeing things as they really are."