PPP278: Training Elephants – Learned Helplessness vs Limiting Beliefs

I’ve heard about elephant trainers who trained baby elephants to stay in one place by tying a chain around their feet. No matter how much they struggled and pulled at the chain, they learned they could not move when their foot was tethered. In fact, the more they tried the more painful the chain became on their foot. Over time, the trainer switched from a heavy, strong chain to a simple rope. The result was the same for the elephant. Even though he could have easily broken free, he thought he was stuck.

I am not a doctor or a psychologist. The more I read about Learned Helplessness, the further down the rabbit hole I went. Today’s show will not be an exhaustive look at this concept. I only want to highlight a couple of points that are relevant to us as piano parents.