article mentions 'learned helplessness'. read Singer's 'Writings on an Ethical Life' for some background on this or have a look at a Google search result - htt

article mentions 'learned helplessness'. read Singer's 'Writings on an Ethical Life' for some background on this or have a look at a Google search result - http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2768 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2768 Basically, random electrical shocks to dogs induce a state of 'learned helplessness' or in everyday speak - complete pyschological collapse during a particularly cruel expt.