Learned helplessness may explain some cases of communication apprehension. @1991daly_understanding. Learned helplessness is the idea that a person can withdraw from social activities when they feel unable to predict whether their action will result in positive or negative reactions. It is possible that students who had consistent education experiences in their home country and come to post-secondary education in the United States may struggle with not only with the cultural differences, but also the (real or perceived) inconsistency among the new experiences.