1

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1. Context of the Study

During the phase of young adulthood, both in terms of our bodies and minds, there

is a lot of growth and change happening. However, these changes might not be as

obvious as the ones we experienced during childhood and adolescence. For instance,

when we transition from being a child to becoming a teenager, our bodies undergo

significant transformations like sudden growth spurts and the development of

secondary sex characteristics during puberty. As we move from being a teenager to an

adult, our bodies still change, but these changes are more gradual. We start gaining

weight steadily, which is a characteristic of adulthood, but it's not as sudden as the

changes we go through during the start of adolescence. (Zagorsky and Smith, 2011)

The period of young adulthood spans from 18 to 25 years and is a distinct stage of

development. During this time, individuals engage in crucial tasks that involve

exploring themselves and forming their identity. There is currently confusion in

various organizations regarding the definition and age range for young adulthood,

leading to challenges in developing programs, delivering healthcare services, and

conducting research. It is important to differentiate young adulthood from

adolescence and adulthood because young adults tend to use healthcare services less

and experience poorer health outcomes due to preventable causes compared to other

age groups. They often face higher rates of injuries, mental health issues, substance

use, and sexual/reproductive health conditions. (Federal Interagency Forum on Child

and Family Statistics [Child Stats], 2014)

1.1.1.Perceived Stress
2

Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse

or demanding circumstances. Although stress is a natural component of life, people

often feel more stressed out during significant life transitions. As young adults start to

gain more independence by moving out of their parents' house and taking more

responsibility for their own schedule, entering college is a difficult moment when a

significant life transition into adulthood happens (Darling et al., 2007). Individuals are

also subjected to ongoing stress during their college years due to changing situations

in their lives (Towbes and Cohen, 1996). People may have trouble adjusting and, as a

result, have lower life satisfaction when stress associated with the change to college

life is not appropriately addressed.

Perception of stress involves the feelings and thoughts regarding the

uncontrollable and unpredictable aspects of one's life. This includes dealing with

everyday hassles, managing life changes, and having confidence in one's ability to

handle problems – essentially, gauging the amount of stress someone is experiencing

at a given moment. It doesn't focus on the specific types or frequencies of stressful

events but rather on how a person feels about the overall stressfulness of their life and

their capacity to cope with stress and challenging situations. These feelings can be

influenced by various factors such as personality, coping resources, and support, even

if individuals undergo similar negative life events. In essence, perceived stress reflects

the dynamic interaction between an individual and their environment.

Perceived stress is how an individual personally feels about the amount of

stress they're dealing with at a specific time or over a certain period. It encompasses

the sense of uncontrollability and unpredictability in one's life. Even when facing

similar negative life events, different people may assess the severity of their impact to

varying degrees. Essentially, perceived stress is a reflection of how individuals

evaluate or appraise their interaction with their environment. Many individuals

experience heightened stress levels due to factors like heavy workloads, academic

performance expectations, demanding work schedules, and the uncertainty of the

future (Galanakis, 2016)

1.1.2.Learned Helplessness

Helplessness is when a person feels like nothing they do can change the

situation. It's that point where someone might give up because they believe their

actions won't make a difference (Martinek, 1996). Learned helplessness (LH) was

initially coined to describe the behavior of certain laboratory animals that, despite

having the opportunity, failed to escape or avoid shock after previous exposure to

unavoidable shock. The term is now also used to characterize the failure of humans to

engage in, utilize, or acquire effective problem-solving responses. In individuals

experiencing depression, there's a sense of losing hope in the ability to voluntarily

control significant environmental events. Those affected by LH tend to accept that

negative things will happen, and they will have little influence over them. Prolonged

exposure to complex problems leads individuals to believe that their actions and

outcomes are unrelated. Learning under these conditions weakens future learning and

results in a lack of initiative. As a result, individuals may struggle to address issues,

even when viable solutions are available. (Mohanty et al., 2015)

Maier and Seligman (1976) proposed a theory that suggests learned

helplessness arises when individuals face uncontrollable events and realize that their

actions are not linked to or don't impact the outcomes. Learning in an environment

perceived as beyond one's control diminishes motivation to take action that could

influence future events. This theory helps clarify how learned helplessness affects the

achievement of goals in emerging adults (Daniels et al., 2009). It has also aided
4

researchers in various fields in understanding the link between learned helplessness

and outcomes in adulthood (Dannenberg et al., 2012).

Success in the development of emerging adults is often assessed by their

competence in key tasks defining adulthood, such as housing stability,

employment/income, education, social relationships, physical health, and mental

health (Arnett, 2000). This study specifically delves into the concept of learned

helplessness and its role as an adaptation that might hinder emerging adults' ability to

attain these tangible competencies.

1.2. Need and Significance of the Study

(Enter text here)

1.3. Aim of the Study

(Enter text here)

References

Zagorsky JL, Smith PK. The freshman 15: A critical time for obesity intervention or

media myth. Social Science Quarterly. 2011;92(5):1389–1407.

Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics (Child Stats). (2014).

America’s

young adults: Special Issue, 2014. Retrieved from

https://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2014/YA_14.pdf

Darling CA, McWey LM, Howard SN, Olmstead SB. College Student Stress: The

influence of interpersonal relationships on sense of coherence. Stress and Health.

2007;23(4):215–229

Towbes LC, Cohen LH. Chronic Stress in the Lives of College Students: Scale

development and prospective prediction of distress. Journal of Youth and

Adolescence. 1996;25(2):199–217.

Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD: Systematic Review of Depression, Anxiety,

and Other Indicators of Psychological Distress Among U.S. and Canadian Medical

Students. Acad. Med. 2006; 81: 354–373.

Galanakis, M. J., Palaiologou, A., Patsi, G., Velegraki, I., & Darviri, C. (2016). A

literature

review on the connection between stress and self-esteem. Psychology, 07(05), 687-

694. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2016.75071

Martinek TJ. Fostering hope in youth: A model for explaining learned helplessness in

physical activity. Quest. 1996;48:409–21.

Mohanty A, Pradhan RK, Jena LK. Learned helplessness and socialization: A

reflective analysis. Psychology. 2015;6:885–95.

Dannenberg, L., Forster, J., & Jostman, N. (2012). ‘‘If only…’’: When counterfactual

thoughts can reduce illusions of personal authorship. Consciousness and Cognition,

21(1), 456–463.

Daniels, L., Stupnisky, R., Pekrun, R., Haynes, T., Perry, R., & Newall, N. (2009). A

longitudinal analysis of achievement outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology,

101(4), 948–963.

Maier, S., & Seligman, M. (1976). Learned helplessness: Theory and evidence.

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 105(1), 3–46.