Frustration - what is it in psychology? Mental state of frustration Treatment of frustration

Frustration is always a consequence of the real or imagined inability of an individual to achieve any goal, satisfy his need or desire.

The reason may also be the total incomparability of existing opportunities and desires. Therefore, the mental state of frustration refers to emotional and traumatic states, expressed in a feeling of frustration of various plans and plans, a feeling of deception, constant failures, and futile expectations.

Reasons for the development of frustration

Feature this state is that the reasons for the development of frustration can be hidden in a wide variety of and even seemingly insignificant psychological factors, for example, in minor failures, a number of which affect the decrease in the subject’s self-esteem. The presence of any obstacle, which is usually called a “frustator” in such cases, can in itself have a negative impact on the individual.

Factors of frustration can also be various deprivations of the subject, for example, internal (lack of knowledge or talents) or external (lack of money). Internal or external losses, for example, loss of productivity and health, or loss of loved one. We should not forget about conflicts that can arise both within the individual himself in the form of a struggle of motives and beliefs, and develop externally, as the struggle of the subject himself with society and other subjects. Here it should be emphasized that although the frequency of failures that occur plays a role in the formation of a state of frustration, everything depends on the person himself and his reaction to emerging problems and obstacles.

Enough undesirable consequence such a state is served by conscious substitution real world and fictitious situations, the development of pronounced aggression, isolation, personality deformation and the development of a number of complexes. Any violation of plans and expectations entails the development of doubts about one’s own strengths, the future, further endeavors and plans.

This is often accompanied by a total disruption of the subject’s social connections, his isolation, which occurs as a result of the development of distrust in people. It is worth noting that frustration brings both constructive and destructive changes in personality. The former can be expressed in a certain concentration of the individual’s attention and efforts on a specific problem, the latter – in the formation of depression.

Signs of development of frustration

Most often in psychology, the term “frustration” means a serious condition, the development of which occurs against the background of constant failures, the presence of an obvious or “suspected” obstacle that makes it impossible to achieve the desired goal. During the mental state of frustration, the individual feels hopelessness, he wants to somehow limit himself from what is happening, but at the same time he cannot switch his attention to something other than the potential “frustator”. The subject may feel an urgent need to get out of the state of frustration, but at the same time he does not know how to achieve this.

Anything can provoke the development of frustration, and it is impossible to predict this disorder. The reason may be refusal of help for which you turned to your neighbor or best friend, being late for important meeting, public transport disappearing “in front of your very nose”, large bills for certain services, criticism inadvertently addressed to you, which you considered excessively exaggerated. At the same time, signs of the development of frustration may for a long time remain unnoticed and develop exclusively internally, in the form of resentment, disappointment, constant anxiety.

It should also be noted that a person in a state of frustration will soon demonstrate a decline in motivation, loss of efficiency and productivity. A characteristic feature is also that an individual can continue to carry out this or that activity, fight even with low efficiency as if mechanically, in the absence of any desired result. This means that the personality resists both from within and without, and this resistance can be of a passive or active nature.

Frustration is rarely characteristic of people with an adaptive personality type. This is explained by the fact that such a person, as a rule, in the event of a series of failures or other irritating factors, only strengthens his personal motivation and develops even greater activity in order to achieve his goal.

Love frustration

Violation of strong and familiar relationships can lead to such a phenomenon as “love frustration.” A characteristic feature of this condition is that it has a constructive effect, increasing the subject’s attraction to the opposite sex.

Frustration due to love can develop both as a result of parting with the object of love and adoration, and as a result of the lack of desired sensations and satisfaction of needs that were expected throughout the relationship. It can manifest itself in extremely inappropriate behavior, the development of irritability, aggressiveness, and a growing sense of anxiety. When the topic of love frustration comes up, the question arises: can there be love that does not make partners dependent on each other?

Of course, such relationships are quite possible, but only for those people who have sufficient strength and spiritual maturity. It should be understood that any social connections, and even the relationship between two partners, always contain some element of dependence. Frustration due to love will never occur if you strive for your partner based on personal strength, and not on your weaknesses.

Getting rid of frustration

The question naturally arises: what can getting rid of frustration bring? In this case, the recommendations are quite simple. Remember that frustration represents dissatisfaction, disappointment in life and in yourself. Each of us has our own ways of spending time that will fully make us feel more satisfied and happy.

While spending time doing your favorite activity, be sure to analyze what resulted in your failure. Assess your strengths, find mistakes, correct them. If necessary, you can always turn to people who will help you understand yourself, your personal shortcomings and qualities that do not satisfy you, and also suggest methods with which you can correct the situation in your favor.

Every person has many needs, and there is a certain desire to satisfy them. When the achievement of intended goals becomes impossible due to real or imagined difficulties, a negative mental state called frustration occurs.

The first mention of this problem can be found in S. Freud’s article “On the types of neurotic diseases,” which was published in 1912. The term itself comes from the Latin word “frustratio” - deception, failure, destruction of plans.

In psychology, this term is characterized ambiguously. In the works of S. Freud and his followers, a direct connection is visible between frustration and aggression. According to this psychoanalytic concept, frustration is a source of tension, hostility and causes neurotic anxiety. There were other theories. For example, the American psychologist K. Horney, in his work “New Paths in Psychoanalysis,” argues that frustration is not accompanied by a hostile reaction, since people experience suffering every day, receive refusals, but do not display aggressive behavior.

When does a state of frustration occur?

Not every unmet need leads to frustration. Much depends on the character of a person, his ability to survive failures and defeats.

There are a number of reasons that cause this condition:

Constant stress, in which a person is no longer able to endure the feeling of dissatisfaction.

Minor failures and disappointments that reduce self-esteem. In this case, any obstacle may be perceived as insurmountable.

Frustration can be observed under the influence of external obstacles and during intrapersonal conflict. Obstacles that arise on the way to achieving the goal, can be classified as follows:

physical – limited space, inability to satisfy basic needs;

biological - diseases, physical disabilities or age restrictions that do not allow the implementation of planned plans;

psychological – fears and complexes that prevent the achievement of results;

sociocultural - norms of behavior in society or religious prohibitions that do not allow one to behave in the desired way;

material – lack of sufficient resources to satisfy one’s desires.

In a state of frustration, a person experiences anxiety, tension, and a feeling of hopelessness. This manifests itself in increased irritability and the desire to replace reality with illusions.

Consequences and ways to deal with frustration

Frustration has different shapes expressions:

aggression - negative behavior aimed at an obstacle or at oneself;

substitution - the desire to replace one unsatisfied need with another;

displacement - satisfying a need by changing the immediate object of frustration;

rationalization - analysis of failure, search for positive aspects;

regression - a return to primitive forms of behavior, an attempt to arouse pity in order to get what you want;

depression - a depressed state, a pessimistic view of what is happening;

fixation – stereotypical behavior, repetition of actions even in the absence of results;

intensification of efforts - mobilization of all resources to achieve the goal.

Mental states that characterize frustration vary in duration. This can be a long-term depression that leaves its mark on a person’s personal qualities, or a short outbreak of aggression. The state of frustration sometimes becomes typical of a person’s character, or may remain only a situational episode.

When studying frustration, it is necessary to identify its relationship with other mental states. For example, stress too is a strong emotional experience. Its difference lies in the fact that the difficulties that cause a stressful state are associated with the most important needs of life, but are generally surmountable. From the point of view of frustration, a person is considered as an individual, with his characteristics, problems and goals. A stressful situation most often poses a threat to life safety.

Frustration always affects human behavior. Failures and lack of faith in success can lead to prolonged depression. It is a protective mechanism, warning that the negative state has become too intense and the psyche needs peace and relaxation.

Sometimes frustration is beneficial, forcing a person to be decisive and resourceful to achieve results. To avoid destructive consequences in a state of frustration, it is important to find a way out in time, switch attention to another goal or change behavior tactics. Deep breathing will help relieve tension. You need to concentrate and remember the fun and pleasant moments of your life.

If the slightest trouble causes an outburst of anger, it makes sense to contact a specialist who will help cope with the problem.

Everyone knows the feeling that occurs when a desire that seemed achievable suddenly becomes unattainable. In psychology, this experience is designated by the word “frustration.”

What is frustration?

In psychology, briefly, frustration is a mental state that occurs when goal-directed activity is blocked. “Frustratio”, translated from Latin, means “failure”, “futile expectation”, “deception”, “frustration of the plan”.

Examples of frustrating situations:

• diagnosis of infertility for a couple dreaming of children;
• the desire to see the deceased person again;
• unrealized love for a woman who remains faithful to her husband.

To satisfy a certain need, an individual chooses a goal and organizes his actions, trying to achieve it. When the possibility of carrying out a plan encounters insurmountable obstacles, the chain of events “desire, goal - result” is broken, and mental stress arises. The state of frustration can find expression ranging from a slight feeling of annoyance to a feeling of hopelessness and the experience of acute mental pain.

The strength of frustration depends on the influence of the following factors.

1. The degree of proximity to the intended goal. If activity is blocked at the final stage of achieving the plan, the strength of frustration increases. For example, a bowl of aromatic soup is already on the table, “under your nose,” but it is suddenly taken away.
2. Level of energy consumption. The more effort, time and other resources spent on achieving the goal, the greater the frustration. Losing in a sports competition for which you were not prepared at all is not as disappointing as losing after a year of grueling training.
3. Intensity of frustrated desire. A suddenly missed lunch will cause less negative feelings in a person who had breakfast than in someone who has not eaten since yesterday and is very hungry.
4. Attractiveness of the target. The situation that caused the frustration reaction must be very personally significant for the person. The most severe frustration is observed when a person’s leading activity is blocked. Because it is usually with its help that the need for meaning in life is satisfied. For example, a person who positions himself primarily as a pianist injures his hand and is deprived of the opportunity to play music professionally. He experiences much more stress than a person for whom playing the piano is nothing more than a hobby.
5. The intensity of the frustrator is the degree of complexity of the obstacle that has arisen on the way to the goal. Here the question arises about the adequacy of the assessment of the frustration situation. Sometimes the insurmountability of emerging obstacles is greatly exaggerated or, conversely, underestimated at the planning stage of activities, which leads to a frustrating reaction.
6. The functional state of a person caught in a frustrating situation. Accumulated stress as a result of previous failures can provoke a strong surge of negative emotions in response to even the weakest provocation.
7. The individual level of frustration tolerance is the threshold of tolerance for frustration, the ability to endure the difficulties that arise in life without mental changes and disorganization of behavior.

Reasons for the development of frustration

Circumstances that provoke a state of frustration can be divided into three categories:

1. Privation - original absence necessary tools and resources for For example, the lack of vocal abilities to build a career in the opera house.
2. Deprivation - loss of objects previously used to satisfy a need and to which it was formed strong attachment. For example, the death of a child, a fire in the house in which he lived his whole life.
3. Conflict is the impossibility of satisfying a need due to the presence of two mutually incompatible motives, ambivalent feelings, or conflicts of interests. For example, a university professor’s desire to have an affair with a student is met with the conviction that this is unprofessional and unethical.

Factors that cause frustration are called frustrators. These can be various circumstances, situations, people and their actions that arise on the way to realizing a desire in the form of an insurmountable barrier. The following types of frustrators are considered in psychology:

• physical (imprisonment, lack of money, time);
• biological (diseases, physical disabilities, age restrictions);
• social (other individuals and conflicts with them, social norms, laws, sanctions);
• psychological (limited knowledge, insufficient level of development of abilities, fears, doubts, internal conflicts).

Obstacles in the form of unfavorable external circumstances are easier to bear psychologically because they allow you to transfer blame from yourself to other objects. If a person sees the cause of failure in himself, this often leads to self-flagellation.

The development of frustration is also influenced by the legitimacy of the frustrators and the individual’s claims. In most cases, if a person is convinced that his legal rights were somehow violated, he experiences more pronounced frustration.

Reaction to frustration

The primary reaction to a frustrating situation is usually aggression, which is either suppressed, appearing in the form of irritability, or openly expressed in the form of anger. The secondary reaction depends on temperament, on the forms of response to life’s difficulties that have developed during life.

A person with a high level of frustration tolerance quickly copes with negative feelings and may show surprise, cognitive interest in relation to an object, a situation that prevents the achievement of a goal, sports passion. A person with low adaptation skills slides down the emotional scale and falls into more severe emotional states than irritation and anger. Depressive reactions, increased anxiety, and fears are observed.

Depression can be seen as the opposite of aggression. Characterized by a feeling of powerlessness, hopelessness, a feeling that “life is over,” apathy, and loss of motivation.

Often there is an obsessive fixation on an activity that has become useless or even dangerous in the new conditions. Fixation is associated with mental rigidity, stereotypical perception and thinking, the inability to “let go of the situation,” switch to a new goal, and abandon previous ways of interacting with the outside world. A particular form of fixation is capricious behavior. Fixation is also characterized by a kind of mania, when the failure that has occurred absorbs all a person’s thoughts, forces him to endlessly analyze his behavior and study the frustrator in detail.

Depending on the direction of aggression, reactions are distinguished:

• extrapunitive reaction (anger, anger, indignation) - the desire to blame others for what happened;
• intropunitive response (feelings of shame, pangs of conscience) - self-accusation;
• imputative response - a philosophical attitude towards the events that have occurred as something inevitable, the absence of the desire to look for those to blame.

Depending on what a person is fixated on, there are three types of reactions to a frustrating situation:

• fixation on an obstacle: “it’s so unfair, we need to fight this,” “wow, it’s even more interesting to play this way”;
• fixation on self-defense: “if you had explained everything to me right away, I would have managed it”;
• fixation on need satisfaction: active search for solutions and help from others or the position “somehow everything will be resolved by itself.”

Behavioral patterns for frustration

A prolonged inability to resolve a frustrating situation leads to the development of anxiety, which, in turn, forces one to look for a way to avoid negative experiences or at least minimize their strength. The ego-protective mechanisms of the psyche come into play. The action of defense mechanisms leads to a distortion of the perception of those aspects of reality that a person is not able to come to terms with. The process is not realized by the person, because otherwise the ego-protective mechanisms would lose their power.

Each individual person has his own individual “repertoire” of protective behavior (depending on personality type, gender, age). Let's look at the manifestations of the most common

Repression

Repression is the elimination of frustrating memories and experiences from the area of ​​consciousness. In psychoanalysis, the mechanism of repression is considered as a way of adapting to dangerous internal drives. At the external level, it manifests itself in the form of unmotivated forgetting or ignoring objects that cause psychological discomfort. However, suppressed feelings and memories do not go away. For example, they easily recover from a state of hypnotic trance.

Substitution

Substitution is the replacement of an object or need with others that are more accessible and safer for discharge. The action of this mechanism explains how troubles at work provoke quarrels at home. The inability to enter into an open conflict with superiors leads to the discharge of aggression on a more dependent spouse or child.

If the replaced action or desire is morally unacceptable, but the replacement is acceptable, then this process is called sublimation. For example, the same aggression can be discharged by engaging in intense physical exercise.

Substitution can also include withdrawal into fantasy and addiction to psychoactive substances. As well as devaluing the frustrating object or need. For example, after, a person gives up trying to build a personal life, explaining his behavior by the insignificance of this area of ​​life compared to the importance of building a career or, for example, “spiritual self-development.”

The replacement of one feeling with another, usually the opposite, is called reactive transformation. In this case, unacceptable emotions cease to be recognized, and acceptable ones become hypertrophied. For example, paranoid individuals can suppress attraction and interest in another person, considering these feelings dangerous for themselves, and shift the emphasis to suspicion and hatred.

Intellectualization

This mechanism of psychological defense consists of a logical understanding of events from the perspective of good-bad, useful-useless and relegating to the background the significance of information that is provided by actually experienced emotions. An example of intellectualization is a person’s reasoning that death brought his deceased relative relief from physical suffering and other troubles of life.

Intellectualization makes it possible to reduce the intensity of painful experiences without resorting to a complete loss of information about their presence. When faced with a frustrating situation, intellectualization is perceived as a mature approach to the problem, and therefore usually finds approval and support in society and becomes an attractive strategy for many people.

However, intellectualization also has its disadvantages. It leads to the loss of the opportunity to fully experience one’s feelings - both negative and positive. As a result, a person has problems in close relationships, since self-expression under the influence of intellectualization gives the impression of insincerity and indifference.

Regression

Experiencing a state of frustration according to K. Alderfer’s theory leads to a shift down the levels of needs. That is, if it is impossible to satisfy the needs of some hierarchical level, unrealized energy is directed to the needs of the same or lower level that are available to satisfy.

Thus, the inability for some reason to realize one’s talent or calling can lead one down the path of seeking self-affirmation in society (a dizzying career, high social status as an end in itself).

The inability to realize oneself in society results in the creation of love or love relationships that compensate for the feeling of loss of self-worth. friendly relations. Feeling the weakness of his “I”, a person can “join” another, self-realized person and feel his importance. “I am the wife of a respected professor,” “I am best friend successful actor."

The inability to realize the needs of the two highest levels inevitably leads to abuse at the lower level. A person sleeps and eats too much. He buys things he doesn’t need, just to fill the inner emptiness.

Frustration in personal life

It’s interesting because difficulties in realizing romantic feelings only increase people’s attraction to each other. Other needs, desires and interests fade into the background.

Outwardly, love frustration can find expression in behavior that cannot be called actions. loving person. The proverb “hitting means loving” takes on a new meaning within the framework of the study of frustration in psychology. A surge of aggression caused by frustration is often directed at the object of sympathy. Hence the criminal stories with the pursuit of the object of passion, outbursts of jealousy, throwing acid, sexual and physical violence.

Frustration also occurs when a partner is objectively unable to satisfy our emotional needs. For example, a woman hopes that when she meets a man who loves her, she will finally feel loved, adored, and beautiful. However, he is faced with the fact that in a relationship he begins to feel even more acutely self-doubt, his “imperfection”.

And all because not even the most ideal partner is able to compensate for the lack of self-love. No matter how much attention the partner pays to the woman in this example, she will always not have enough. And she will experience frustration every time a man switches his attention to other areas of life - work, friends, hobbies, even children together.

Is it possible to avoid frustration in love? Of course, but only if a person has mental maturity and strives to create equal relationships, relying on the psychological resource of the partner, and on his own strength.

Poverty as a frustrator

In chronic conditions, people's concepts about the nature of happiness change. It is useful to remember a parable here. The poor man complains about the cramped conditions of his one-room apartment, in which he has to huddle with all his numerous relatives. The wise man advises the poor man to temporarily place a dog, poultry and other living creatures in the same room in order to experience what is truly a catastrophic situation. Happiness is relative.

Poverty leads to frustration not only when it is not possible to satisfy basic personal and family needs. Financial situation becomes a powerful frustration when society consists of people with different income levels. Despite the objective high level life, a person drives himself into a state of frustration with the help of upward social comparison.

Particularly strong frustration is observed if a person believes that all rich people create their wealth exclusively through illegal and immoral means. Also, a person’s perception of himself as poor, disadvantaged, depends on the ratio of his aspirations and real achievements.

How to deal with frustration?

Psychologists offer several ways to get out of frustration.

Replacing the means to achieve the goal

Increased mental and emotional stress can be used to analyze the actions taken and search for alternative ways to achieve the goal. For example, a girl refused to date you. You are feeling frustrated. Do you feel it? Before you completely fall into pessimism, you should think about why the girl you liked actually rejected you.

Not everyone in love is easy-going. It takes some time to realize that this is the person they dreamed of. It is possible that the girl who rejected you is not sure of her feelings. And it’s easier for her to immediately refuse you than to give you, perhaps, vain hope. Try changing your approach. An alternative solution is to offer a no-obligation friendship to give the person the opportunity to get to know you better.

Another example. I failed to get into my desired university. But is this the only way to gain knowledge in your chosen field? History knows many self-taught people who achieved exceptional results in their field. For example, the Englishwoman Mary Anning, who went from a poor, uneducated fossil collector to one of the greatest paleontologists of the 19th century.

Replacement target

Just as many paths can be found to achieve the same goal, an alternative goal can be discovered by which a need or desire can be satisfied. In hypnotherapy, for example, there are techniques that allow you to transfer the feeling of falling in love from one object to another, and thus get rid of unrequited love.

Of course, a person whose instinct is already firmly fixed on a certain person, refuses to believe that he could ever experience such strong feelings for someone else in his life.

It takes patience to find a target that can compensate for the properties of the one being replaced. But if this were impossible, then people would not marry happily several times during their lives and would not find the meaning of life in new activities after losing the opportunity to do what they love. For example, actor A. Banderas wanted to become a football player, but after a leg injury, the dream of sports career I had to refuse. Hardly worldwide famous actor still experiences frustration due to unfulfilled teenage hopes.

Reassessment of the situation

The obvious solution to getting out of a state of frustration caused by internal conflict is to choose between alternatives. Appeal to both your mind and your emotions.

Weigh the pros and cons of each of your desires. Transfer the analysis process to paper. After writing down all possible arguments, highlight those that are of key importance for your life. Discard the rest. Identifying your core values ​​will help you cope with anxiety and fear. If you cannot cope with the problem on your own, contact a specialist. Psychologist-hypnologist

We have all experienced moments of disappointment or frustration in our lives. Frustration is usually associated with the inability to achieve what we want in a particular situation. A certain level of frustration can sometimes be a helpful sign that you need to stop and make some adjustments in your life. However, if your frustration level is too high and you find yourself frustrated very often, you may need to take a deeper approach to look at the whole process and identify its implications for your quality of life.

Frustration can be defined as an emotional reaction to a situation where a person is unable to achieve a desired goal or outcome. When you are trying to achieve something at home or at work and feel an insurmountable obstacle, your reaction will be disappointment, irritation, depression or even anger.

Examples of frustration abound in everyday life. In many situations, this feeling is fleeting and does not cause much harm, but in some circumstances, high levels of frustration can have potentially fatal consequences. Let us turn, for example, to the manifestations of “road rage” among drivers.

Every year the roads become more and more crowded. We're not always as polite when we're inside our vehicles as we would be face-to-face, and when people are irritated by the situation on the road, they can make stupid mistakes or perform inappropriate maneuvers. This often results in road rage, which can pose a significant threat to the health and safety of road users.

We become frustrated because the effort we put in does not match the results we get. Let's say you want your kids to be ready for school by 8:00, but even though you had everything prepared the night before (clothes, lunch, etc.), you weren't able to get ready until 8:30. . As a result, your day immediately begins with frustration. If such constant disappointment becomes a part of your life, then you begin to live with excessive levels of stress, which can become quite destructive over time.

There are many ways to deal with frustration. Once you find a few strategies that work well for you, you can use them to relieve frustration at any time. A great relaxation technique that you can use anywhere is. Start breathing slowly and deeply, concentrating only on the breathing process itself. Spend some time on this and you'll likely immediately significantly reduce your level of irritation.

Another powerful technique is visualization. Try to imagine yourself in some place that reminds you of calm (a warm beach, for example). Use all your senses, try to hear the waves, smell the water, feel the light breeze caressing your body.

If possible, allow yourself to avoid the situation that is causing you frustration. This doesn't mean you should just run away and forget about what happened. The goal of this strategy is to break the mental patterns that fuel your frustration. Starting to do something else or just sitting quietly in quiet place, you can refocus your thoughts and create a sense of calm for yourself. Once you have calmed down, you can begin to use problem-solving techniques with a clear mind to figure out how you can deal with the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving the desired result.

Laughter is another great cure for frustration. If you find something to have a good laugh about, your frustration will soon subside. Remember about funny joke, watch a funny sitcom or movie if you have time. Sometimes life itself becomes the best source of humor. It's enough just to learn to laugh at yourself.

Sometimes the best solution is to see a psychotherapist. If you feel that you are irritated most of the time due to many different reasons, or your irritation often turns into anger, then it would be a good idea to talk to a qualified professional about this. There are many different ways that can help you. It's up to you to decide which one is best for you.

07/08/2018 1 902 0 Igor

Psychology and Society

Every person has needs and desires. The state we experience when faced with the impossibility of satisfying these needs or fulfilling desires is called frustration. Negative emotions and feelings associated with this condition accompany us throughout our lives, even if we are not aware of it. It is important to learn to overcome them. Let's look at what frustration means in simple words, what are the reasons for its occurrence and how to overcome it.

Content:

Definition of Frustration

Frustration (from the Latin “frustratio” - failure, futile expectation, deception, frustration of plans) is a state of the human psyche in which a person experiences a lot of negative feelings associated with the inability to realize his desires or satisfy his own vital needs. The inevitable accompaniments of this state are disappointment and devastation. In simple words, frustration is when a person’s desires do not correspond to his available capabilities and diverge from them in a given situation. It leads to emotional trauma, which is natural and inevitable. All people experience frustration, regardless of their gender, age or status in society.

According to psychologists, this condition manifests itself much more often in children. And frustration does not divide people into rich and poor, it is characteristic of both to the same extent. Famous psychologists Brown and Ferber associate this state with a situation, the end result of which is the inhibition of the expected reaction or its prevention.

In psychological science, frustration is considered from the point of view of internal mental stress, negative emotions (excitement, anxiety, worry, tension, heartache etc.), which are associated with the inability to achieve set goals. If all goals and objectives were easily achievable, we would not experience such joy, delight and happiness when we achieve something. Therefore, overcoming objective difficulties on the way to achieving goals, encountering defeats, losses and bad luck, succumbing to despair or anger, going through disappointment, we learn to deal with the state of frustration in order to remain in all life situations. good mood and feel happy.

Main signs of frustration:

• the presence of an irresistible desire to achieve what you want;
• the appearance of obstacles and obstacles on the way to the goal;
• the result of a discrepancy between goals and capabilities is a violation of mental balance and internal harmony;
• the emergence of a new desire - restoring balance through effort.

Psychologists find a pattern in this state, since it is inevitable and does not depend on the person.

Mayer identifies two potentials in human behavior:

1. Possible behavioral models formed on the basis of genetics, living conditions, and acquired experience.
2. Selection processes, which are divided into those that appear when a state of frustration occurs and in the case of actions aimed at motivation and stimulation.

Causes (frustrators)

They are divided into external and internal. The first ones do not depend on the person himself, these are the so-called external circumstances, the realities of our life (transport breakdown, flight delay, red tape in obtaining the necessary certificate, etc.). The second ones are located in the person himself, these are the properties of his character and personal qualities ( low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, lack of ambition, lack of knowledge, skills and abilities, etc.).

A person endures experiences caused by external reasons more easily, because he sees the cause of his failures in external factors and barriers. With internal reasons, the situation is more complicated - it can lead to a nervous breakdown, depression based on constant replay of events, self-flagellation and self-examination. To overcome such a state, a person needs to pull himself together, analyze the situation, identify the reasons for what happened, draw the necessary conclusions for himself and move on, correcting the mistakes made in achieving the goal. According to another classification, the causes of frustration are divided into the following groups:

• Biological– diseases, incapacity, old age, defects and physical disorders, sexual disorders;
• Physical– this includes any restrictions of a physical nature (restriction of a person’s freedom in a prison cell, lack of funds for which one wants to buy something, etc.);
• Psychological– phobias, love disorders, loss of loved ones, mental retardation, internal conflicts, etc.;
• Sociocultural– regulations, restrictions, laws, social attitudes that prevent a person from getting what he wants; existential frustration (eternal questions of good and evil, the search for the meaning of life); social frustration (social conflicts, suffering from loneliness, lack of communication, etc.).

One of the provoking factors of this condition is the frequency with which a person cannot satisfy current needs and his reaction to his own unsuccessful attempts.

Is this good or not?

Frustration– this is both good and bad. It’s good when this state motivates a person, taking into account all mistakes, overcoming all obstacles, to move further towards achieving goals. In this case, frustration is a useful indicator of life problems. It is bad when it is accompanied by an outburst of anger, severe irritability, resentment, anxiety, tension, a feeling of indifference, apathy, loss of interest, guilt syndrome, anxiety, rage, aggression, hostility, which leads to a decrease in self-esteem due to helplessness and rejection, as well as stress and deep depression.

It is wrong to believe that frustration has an exclusively destructive effect on a person and must be suppressed without fail. Psychologists convince us of the opposite: it is a factor of progress and development. Only when a person needs to overcome any difficulties, cope with emerging problems, does he develop, come up with some innovations, become more inventive and resourceful, and begin to show ingenuity and mental alertness.

In addition to this, the state of frustration contributes to the development of willpower, increased courage and energy. The most important thing is to learn to deal with negative emotions, which can lead to bad consequences - serious mental disorders.

Forms of behavior

In the case when a person spends a lot of effort and takes active steps to achieve his goals, and the result obtained does not meet his expectations, he becomes disappointed and irritated. Saul Rosenzweig, a therapist and practicing psychologist from America, identifies three forms of behavior in which frustration is manifested:

• Extrapunitive– manifests itself in situations where the achievement of goals was hindered by external reasons or strangers. Negative emotions that arise in a person: persistence, dissatisfaction, nervousness, irritation. He tries to get what he wants by any means necessary. This form of behavior is inflexible and primitive; a person uses only learned forms of action.
• Intrapunitive- a person directs all his aggression inward, blames only himself for all troubles, engages in soul-searching and self-flagellation. Negative emotions that arise in a person: excessive guilt, anxiety, depression. He avoids communication, becomes withdrawn and taciturn. With this form of behavior, people refuse further actions aimed at achieving goals, limit their activity, refusing the need to satisfy emerging needs.
• Impunitive– characterized by a person’s attitude towards unfulfilled desires and unmet needs as something that is inevitable. The second option is for the person to pretend that he did not notice his failure. This form of behavior is due to the fact that in a state of frustration people do not look for those to blame, but simply draw appropriate conclusions.

Each of us must understand that frustration is a common, inevitable state. If your transport breaks down, you can change to another one; if you fail to get to the desired event, you can find another type of interesting pastime.

It is important to understand whether certain circumstances depend on us or whether we cannot influence them in any way. And based on this information, take the necessary further actions. The main secret of how to turn a state of frustration into a positive side is to accept life as it is and not complicate it.

Frustration, deprivation and disappointment: similarities and differences

Deprivation and disappointment are two traits that characterize a person’s emotional state. Many of them are confused with frustration. The distinctive features of these concepts are presented in the table.

There is a common mechanism that links these states into one. The starting point is deprivation, which leads to frustration, to which the person reacts with aggression, which contributes to anxiety. The latter helps a person protect himself from surging negative emotions.

Behavior patterns

There are different ways a person's reactions to situations leading to frustration. From a psychological point of view, frustration behavior can be of the following types:

• Aggressive– aggression is directed either to the outside world or inside the person himself (he suffers from remorse, feels a sense of shame, blames himself);
• Increased physical excitability– a person begins to walk from corner to corner, twirl his hair on his fingers and perform other useless and uncontrollable actions;
• Apathy– a person becomes lethargic, he loses any desire to do anything (he may not get up from the couch all day, staring at the ceiling);
• Escape– a person avoids those actions that cause him pain and cause other negative emotions (does not respond to phone calls, does not read the news, etc.);
• Fixation– aimed at strengthening active actions, forbidden behavior, it seems that the person is fixated on something bad;
• Stress– promotes physical and mental exhaustion, which leads to chronic fatigue, headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure, migraines, strokes, heart attacks and gastritis;
• Substitution– when a person replaces one unsatisfied need with any other;
• Depression– can occur in anyone regardless of gender, race, religion, age or culture. This condition negatively affects all human life processes - sleep, nutrition, communication, general well-being, etc.;
• Bias– when a person shifts his focus from one goal to another (a mother lashes out at her own children, scolding them for bad behavior because of problems at work);
• Rationalization– when a person looks for in failure those positive aspects and moments that are associated with it;
• Intensifying efforts– when a person gets together, mobilizes all his strength and available resources to continue what he started;
• Regression– when a person returns to primitive behavior;
• Addictive behavior– eating problems, which leads to obesity, avoiding problems by using alcoholic beverages or drugs. This behavior pattern is the most destructive and senseless. It will not solve problems, but will only add new ones - deterioration of health, acquisition of bad habits.

Examples from life

1. You have been invited to an important event. You have chosen your wardrobe: a suit, shoes, a handbag. Come to the store to buy specific previously selected items. And then it turns out that there is no suit of the size you need. And in other stores too. All your plans collapse and you fall into a state of frustration. For a certain time, you cannot think logically; your head is occupied with only one thought: that nothing planned came true.
2. Betrayal of a loved one. Have you made plans together? future life: marriage, having children, buying a home, etc. And the news that your loved one has cheated on you is like a bolt from the blue for you. The whole world around you collapses in one second, you are filled with resentment, anger and disappointment. After a while, devastation comes. This state will be much longer than in the previous example with the unfulfilled purchase of a suit.
3. An example from fiction: a fox from Krylov’s fable, known to everyone: she really wants to pick grapes, but does not have the opportunity to do so.

Important! If you are unable to overcome the state of frustration on your own, you need to seek help from specialists whose task is to identify the causes of this state, help you analyze mistakes, and overcome negative emotions and direct all your efforts towards feeling like a happy and full of vitality person again.