Człowiek poznający samego siebie według koncepcji Seligmana (style wyjaśniania a wyuczona bezradność)

The article presents the concept of explanation styles and the theory of learned helplessness developed by cognitive psychologist Martin Seligman. His idea is very fruitful from the cognitive point of view, and, at the same time, it can be used in clinical practice. The author of the article presents Seligman’s theory with particular regard to the impact of a selected attribution style and learned helplessness on intrapsychological and interpersonal functioning of a human being. He has also highlighted deliberate application of a given style in order to avoid destructive effects. The author illustrates the concept under discussion with examples. The article also presents fundamental attribution errors and disfunctional beliefs that affect the correct assessment of the phenomena and, consequently, the emergence of errors in thinking and in attitudes towards the surrounding reality.