Modern man in his active and hectic life is often waiting for big disappointments. Such situations are not an exception, when all hopes are crumbling. Faced with similar problems, many people, realizing that their desires are unattainable, fall into a certain mental state, which is called "frustration."
This happened in the life of every person. However, not everyone in this period realizes that their condition bears such a name. What is frustration in psychology? This is a special behavioral mechanism, the action of which is accompanied by experience, as well as a number of negative emotions that are caused by disappointment. A similar phenomenon in people's lives is a regularity. That is why avoiding frustration is far from always obtained. It is worth noting that it can occur in any person, regardless of age, social status and gender.
What is frustration in psychology? Is such a condition dangerous for a person and how to get rid of it? Let's consider further.
Definition of a concept
The phenomena of anxiety, crisis, stress and frustration in psychology are studied, as a rule, in a complex. Each of them is considered a negative state that has arisen in the individual. Moreover, their manifestations are very similar to each other.
What is frustration in psychology in simple words? This is a form of stress. Frustration and anxiety cause a person about the same sensations.
So what is embedded in the meaning of the concept under consideration and what distinguishes it from the above series of phenomena? Based on the meaning of the word "frustration" in psychology, which can be found in specialized dictionaries, this term refers to a special emotional state that occurs in a person in those cases when he fails to satisfy his need or achieve his goal. At the same time, the individual will certainly experience various negative emotions. Among them are disappointment and guilt, anxiety, anger, etc.
There is another interpretation about what frustration is in psychology. It considers such a mechanism of the emergence of negative emotions as a situation when a person's desires do not coincide with his capabilities. This leads to the appearance of irritation, tension, and sometimes despair in the individual.
Frustration in psychology is also a violation of internal harmony, which a person tries to restore by any means in order to satisfy his urgent need.
Causes
In any situation, the appearance of frustration? There is no definite answer to this question. After all, the description of frustration in psychology is certainly accompanied by taking into account the characteristics of a person's character. That is, it is important to consider how specific a person is resistant to difficulties, and how successfully he is able to combat the problems that arise in his way. In addition to the nature of a person, his general physical condition is important. It also has a certain effect on the development of a state of frustration.
The emergence of negative emotions contribute to individual elements that are characteristic of a particular situation. This is the power of motivation to meet needs (achieve goals), as well as the barrier that prevents this.
There are various types of frustration in psychology. They are external (lack of money, loss of a loved one) and internal (loss of working capacity and disappointment in their expectations).
In addition, the state of frustration is demarcated by psychology according to its motives and barriers. That is, for those reasons that caused mental discomfort.
So, a variety of barriers are able to generate frustration. They can be:
- physical (the walls of the premises, which cannot be left, insufficient money);
- psychological (doubts and fears);
- biological (age-related deterioration of the body, diseases);
- sociocultural (social rules and regulations).
The American psychologist Kurt Levin also proposed another variety of reasons. These include ideological barriers. With their help, adults are able to control the behavior of children. Ideological barriers are considered a subset of sociocultural.
A factor contributing to the emergence of frustration is the frequency with which a person is unable to satisfy his own needs, as well as his attitude to attempts that fail. A similar condition can progress intensively. In this case, a person begins to lose faith in his strength and self-esteem.
Sometimes even the most insignificant events and changes provoke frustration. But in those cases when external factors are the cause of this condition, the process of adaptation to changing conditions is much easier. The situation with internal causes is much more complicated. When available, people sometimes bring themselves to depression and a nervous breakdown.
Love frustration
A separate reason for the occurrence of mental discomfort of an individual is his failure on the personal front. This state of frustration in psychology has its own characteristic feature. It is expressed in the presence of a constructive effect, that is, in deliberate attempts by a person to change the situation. After all, one who suffers from a loss of love continues to feel a strong craving for a partner with whom he was rejected.
In this case, a state of frustration in psychology is characterized by a certain dependence on a person of the opposite sex, relations with which were destroyed. At the same time, the personality becomes capable of inappropriate actions. In such cases, frustration and aggression, irritability and bitterness are considered in social psychology. A person becomes dependent on his condition, constantly feeling an ever-growing sense of anxiety. People with spiritual maturity and willpower can cope with this situation. However, in the absence of these qualities, a person is able to commit an unlawful act leading to a crime. That is why the concept of "frustration" is also considered in legal psychology.
Freud's Theory
What is frustration in psychology in simple words? This term arose thanks to Freud's theory. This scientist believed that the elements of the psyche are:
- Eid - unconscious drives.
- The ego is the mediator of man between the environment and the inner world.
- The superego is the moral code that holds the id.
According to Freud’s theory, frustration is such a state when a person’s drives generated by the Eid suppress the “censor” in the form of a Super Ego.
The constant struggle between these two elements leads to the emergence of numerous negative reactions.
By Maslow
The author of the well-known theory of needs spoke out about frustration. It is interesting that, in his opinion, the manifestations of such a state are sometimes inversely proportional to the pyramid compiled by the scientist, reflecting the hierarchy of human needs. What is this manifested in? Consider life examples. So, a person did not have time to go to the store to buy his favorite pizza. In the evening he will remain hungry, not satisfying his physiological need. The second example is the receipt of a new position by another employee, which did not allow the person to express themselves. In which case will his experiences be the most powerful? Of course, in the second.
And this despite the fact that the physiological need, according to the Maslow pyramid, is in the first place. At the same time, the psychologist makes another very interesting remark. He is convinced that a person who does not satisfy the needs of the highest level will become a victim of frustration, as he will not be able to satisfy the needs of the following stages. In other words, for someone who has problems with housing, a failed date will not be so serious. It is from this point of view that psychology of needs considers frustration.
Other theories
What is frustration in psychology? This term refers to a state that manifests itself in the form of failure and deception, futile expectations and frustrations of ideas. Such emotions are considered traumatic for a person.
To give a brief definition of frustration in psychology, this condition, which, according to Farber and Brown, is the result of conditions that help prevent and inhibit expected reactions.
Lawson interprets this position somewhat differently. In his opinion, the definition of frustration in psychology is a conflict of two trends. They are the goal and reaction.
There is also the opinion of Childe and Waterhouse. If we consider their description of frustration briefly, this is in psychology a fact of interference, which has a direct effect on the human body. In this case, the individual experiences characteristic experiences. His behavior is changing, which is caused by insurmountable difficulties standing in the way leading to the goal.
According to Mayer, human behavior is expressed by two potentials. The first of these is a repertoire of behavior. It is determined by life experience, heredity and development conditions. The second potential is selective or selection processes. This includes the mechanisms that arise when frustration is manifested, as well as those that occur in the case of motivated activity.
Signs
The concept of frustration in psychology is closely related to the aggressive behavior of the individual. A similar connection can be traced in the concept of not only Freudians, but also neo-Freudians. The idea of connecting frustration with aggressive behavior has become widespread in other psychological approaches. An example of this is the typology developed by the American scientist Seoul Rosenzweig. It includes three forms of frustration, each of which is characterized by aggressive manifestations. It:
- Extrapunitive form. It is characterized by a surge of aggression and anger at external objects. Symptoms in the psychology of frustration of this kind are accusations of the individual in his failure of other people or circumstances.
- Intropunitive form. She is the opposite of the first. In this case, a person begins to blame himself for all failures.
- Impulsive form. Such a response to problems that have arisen is characteristic of those people who are philosophical about all their failures. Moreover, they consider their events either inevitable or not too significant.
Nevertheless, the definition of frustration in psychology is not only a condition that is accompanied by aggression. A generalization of the existing approaches of this discipline led to the allocation of the following reactions to this negative state:
- aggressive behavior of different directions;
- regression, which is the most primitive level of response, manifested, for example, by crying;
- removal from the situation, which is expressed either in an attempt to justify the uselessness of goals, or in setting new tasks.
Deprivation and frustration
The concept of frustration is often confused with other characteristics of the emotional state. Namely, with deprivation and disappointment. Like the last of these two states, frustration appears in the absence of the expected result. However, there are differences between these characteristics. So, frustrated people do not fall into despair. They continue to move towards the intended goal. They do this even when they do not even know what they need to do to solve the problems that have arisen.
There are differences between frustration and deprivation. The first of these conditions is associated with obstacles that arise when a goal is achieved, or with unsatisfied desires. Deprivation takes place in connection with the absence of the object itself or the possibility of satisfying a desire.
Nevertheless, the main thing that becomes clear when studying books on psychology: frustration and deprivation have a common mechanism of occurrence. The following chain can also be traced here. The state of deprivation leads a person to frustration, which is the reason for the further occurrence of aggression. What follows is anxiety, which causes a protective reaction of the body. In psychoanalysis, it is believed that the development of one of the elements of the personality, namely the ego, begins with frustration.
Behavior patterns
People can respond to a frustrating situation in different ways.
In psychology, the following types of behavior are distinguished:
- Aggression. This reaction is the most common. Aggression is external (aimed at the subject or strangers). Such a reaction is certainly accompanied by disappointment, anger or irritation. There is also internal aggression. In this case, the subject himself is the cause of the frustration. Aggressiveness of a person is accompanied by an experience of guilt, shame or remorse.
- Motor excitement. A person in a state of tension, frustration or anger is capable of committing disordered and aimless acts. An example of this is the situation when he runs around the room or twists a lock of his hair on his finger.
- Apathy. Sometimes tension can take the opposite form. At the same time, a person becomes lethargic and apathetic. For example, he is able to lie for hours and, without doing anything, look at the ceiling.
- Escape. Such a reaction is not only physical. Escape can also be done psychologically. An example of this is the refusal to read newspapers that contribute to the emergence of negative emotions.
- Fixation. Sometimes a person who has a state of frustration is obsessed with something or someone. An example of this is the repeated attempts to enter a particular university, constantly ending in failure.
- Stress. Such a reaction can weaken a person’s body and his mind. Stress and frustration in psychology are considered together. With prolonged or too intense stress, people experience physiological signals of a similar state, such as headaches and general fatigue. They develop hypertension, ulcers, colitis and heart attacks.
- Depression. Such a condition can affect people, regardless of their age, race and belonging to one or another culture. Depression begins to affect the appetite and sleep of a person, his well-being and way of thinking, as well as interaction with other members of society.
- Addictive Behavior. It manifests itself in the abuse of alcohol and drugs, which is a futile and, at the same time, destructive attempt to combat frustration. This also includes food patterns that lead to bad habits and being overweight.
Development mechanism
The word frustration from the Latin language is translated as “failure”, “deception”, “futile expectation” and “frustration of designs”. The phases of this state proceed as follows:
- Goal setting. To achieve their own needs, each person limits their actions, setting a certain bar. At this stage, the frustration mechanisms are launched.
- The desire to achieve the goal. After a person decides to change his life, he actively acts for this. At this stage, a large amount of moral strength and financial resources can be spent.
- Defeat. This stage is fundamental in the development of frustration. After all, not everyone is able to accept defeat and not break at the same time. In this case, we can talk about a painful reaction that has become the result of unfulfilled hopes.
Stages of development of emotions
What will be the actions of a person in a state of frustration? It will depend on the situation in which he has fallen. In psychology, several stages of the development of emotions are distinguished, some of which can be skipped in case of a facilitated state.
- Aggression. It takes place almost always and sometimes is only of a short-term nature. In this case, a person may swear or stamp his foot in frustration. Aggression with frustration can be prolonged. This happens when a person began to get nervous and became very angry.
- Substitution. At the next stage in the development of an emotional state, a person tries to get out of this situation. He begins to invent new ways for himself to satisfy his needs.
- Bias. In cases where substitution does not work, people begin to look for the easiest way to meet their needs.
- Rationalization. At this stage, the person begins to search for the positive aspects of what happened.
- Regression.This is the opposite of rationalization. Regression is inherent in pessimists. Such people begin to worry and lament, thus expressing their emotions.
- Stress, depression. This stage is characterized by a sharp decline in mood, which is quite difficult to restore. This stage does not always occur in people.
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If a person has a similar condition, from what point of view should he be considered? There is no single answer to this question. Psychology considers frustration as a phenomenon that carries both negative and positive consequences.
As a positive aspect, we can consider the motivation of a person who takes into account all his mistakes, as well as overcoming his life difficulties and steady movement towards the goal, regardless of the circumstances. In such cases, frustration is very beneficial.
However, in cases where such a condition is accompanied by anger, devastation, irritability or depression and leads to low self-esteem, poor quality of life or stress, it simply cannot be called positive.
Nevertheless, frustration cannot be regarded as a phenomenon that only destroys a person’s life. According to many psychologists, she acts as a motivator for personal growth. And only when a person is forced to overcome difficulties and solve the problems that arise before him, he becomes more independent, resourceful and ready for any surprises. In addition, frustration helps people develop activity, courage and willpower. To do this, it is important to control the emerging condition, as well as to combat those experiences that can cause various mental illnesses.
Frustration Elimination
A person needs to get rid of any mental discomfort as soon as possible. Indeed, the emotional state has a direct impact on our health. Frustration can be overcome both at the initial stages, and with an already protracted process.
If mental discomfort is accompanied by fear, pathologically depressed mood and depression, then here you can not do without medications. It is nootropics, antidepressants, as well as other sedatives that will stabilize the human condition. However, it should be borne in mind that medical treatment alone will not allow you to get rid of the problem. It must be used in combination with psychotherapeutic methods. In this case, specialists can apply various directions:
- Existential. If a person for a long time does not believe in his strength, then he begins to gradually lose the meaning of life. When applying the existential direction, specialists try to give their patient an orientation toward accepting reality, helping him to deal with the negative consequences of the mechanisms that protect the personality.
- Positive psychotherapy. A similar direction is used to adapt the individual to emerging problems. The main concept of this direction is the statement that each person is important to society, with all its shortcomings, advantages and available experience. Using this technique, the therapist delimits a person from his unmet need. In this case, the patient processes the situation that has become the cause of mental discomfort.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy. Such a direction allows a person to gain adaptation skills to the social situation that develops around him. In this case, the patient learns to recognize and track his thoughts, which cause him anxiety.
- Psychodrama. This area of work with patients suffering from frustration is one of the most effective. Psychodrama allows a person to see himself and his problem from the side. After that, it becomes easier for him to realize the obstacles that have arisen on the way to the set goal and to correct his behavior.