The state of frustration is familiar to every person. True, not everyone at this moment realizes that it is called that way. Frustration is understood as a whole behavioral mechanism in which the experience of a range of negative emotions caused by disappointment can be traced. This phenomenon is natural, and it is not always possible to avoid it. Frustration is inherent in absolutely every person, regardless of age (in young children this condition occurs even more often), gender and social status. As they say, the rich also cry.

Real life examples

The easiest way to explain a complex psychological term is with examples. First, the easiest: you go to the store to buy a particular dress. You do not just want it, but have already made certain plans, picked up shoes and a handbag especially for it.

Arriving at the store, you find that there is no dress. And you won't find anything similar in the city. This is where you fall into a state of frustration. This is not just, as they say, a bummer, but a violation of many plans. You cannot think rationally for several minutes: all thoughts are only that everything has failed.

Another bright, but already more global example fits the description of frustration - this is treason. Frustration comes immediately after the news that your loved one or even your legal spouse has cheated on you. The world is collapsing, an internal struggle of pride and feelings begins. Something that is no longer destined to come true floats before your eyes: a life together, a happy future, perhaps a planned major purchase or trip. Such frustration will last longer than from a failed purchase of a dress.

Having received a rough idea of ​​what frustration is, we can give it a short, but more understandable definition. This is disappointment on the way to satisfying some need. Translated from Latin, frustration means "deception", "failure", "futile expectation". Actually, this can also be called the concept of frustration. There is another term from this area: frustrator. This is what is called the cause of frustration.

Manifestations

It all depends on the situation the person is in. If this is, say, the same dress, then the person will be upset, but still be able to find a way out. In the case of treason, everything is much more complicated and significant. The person may become severely depressed. Psychologists identify several stages in the development of emotions in a state of frustration, some of which can be skipped in relieved states. To make it clearer, we will use a dress already familiar to us as an example.

1. Aggression. It almost always occurs and can be short-term (cursing, stamping your foot in frustration) or long-term (getting very angry, starting to get nervous) in nature.
2. Substitution. A person begins to unwittingly extricate himself from the situation, inventing a new way to satisfy the need (find another store where you can buy the same dress).
3. Bias. If the substitution does not work, then the person is looking for an easier way to be satisfied (for example, to buy another dress instead of the desired one, not so beautiful, but at least something).
4. Rationalization. In other words, the search for pluses in what happened (did not buy a dress - but saved money).
5. Regression. The reverse state of rationalization. Inherent in pessimists who begin to emotionally lament and worry.
6. Depression, stress. A sharp decline in mood, which is difficult to restore. This stage does not always occur.
7. Fixation. The final stage, out of frustration. A person draws conclusions that allow him not to get into such situations in the future. There is a consolidation of feelings and thoughts about the lost satisfaction.

A special case of manifestation of an aggressive reaction to frustration is the transfer of blame to the circumstances. Simply put, a person begins to convince himself that "I didn’t really want to." A classic example: I.A. Krylov's fable "The Fox and the Grapes". The fox wanted to eat berries, but could not get them. And then she reassured herself that the grapes were unripe, and that if she had reached out to him, she would have set her teeth on edge. Such psychological reception helps people get past the stage of depression and maintain a cheerful mood.

There is another classification of states of frustration. These are several types of frustration behavior. Even those who are not fond of psychology can easily distinguish them by remembering themselves and those around them:

• apathy (to aimlessly look into the distance or withdraw into oneself);
• motor excitation (walking around the room, active gestures);
• aggression (anger, nervousness);
• regression (crying, desperate cries).

Psychologists say that the type of behavior during frustration does not depend on the type of unmet need, but on the nature of the person. That is, a choleric person will get angry and scream, a melancholic or phlegmatic person will most likely withdraw into himself. A sanguine person can be frustrated in different ways.

Frustration according to Maslow

Abraham Maslow, author of the famous needs theory, also spoke about frustration. It is noteworthy that its manifestations can be inversely proportional to the known pyramid. First, let's briefly recall the hierarchy of human needs.

What is inverse proportionality? Consider two examples of frustration. First: you did not have time to buy your favorite pizza for the evening and remained hungry (physiological need). Second: the new position did not go to you (self-expression). In which case will you worry more? Of course, in the second, despite the fact that this need is in last place.

Frustration of needs according to Maslow has one more interesting remark. The psychologist is sure that until a person satisfies the need of the highest level, he will not become a victim of frustration due to the dissatisfaction of the needs of the next stages. In other words, for a person who has problems with housing, an upset date will not be so serious.

Causes of the condition

Frustration in psychology develops for two reasons: external and internal. External circumstances include various real circumstances: the flight was delayed, a tire burst, a certificate was not issued on time, etc. Internal causes frustrations lie deeper and depend on the personal characteristics and qualities of a person. It may be a lack of ambition for a high position or insecurity during the driving test.

If frustration has come due to external factors, a person experiences it more easily, because there is an opportunity to shift the blame. If the internal qualities of the individual became the cause of failure, then in the worst case it risks turning into self-flagellation. At best, a person will draw conclusions and correct mistakes (for example, prepare better for retaking the exam).

Love

Despite the fact that the need for love is in third place in the hierarchy, people very often experience love frustration. This phenomenon is interesting in that disappointment in love often only enhances feelings. Although, psychologists believe that this is a defensive reaction to betrayal or betrayal. That is, a person who has suffered from unrequited love becomes even more attached to the object of his sympathy. Why? Because he is afraid that this wonderful feeling will never arise in him again. Doctors would call it an autoimmune disease.

But outwardly, love frustration can manifest itself very unexpectedly. Vivid aggression, caused by a frustrated state and supplemented by mental problems, is often directed at the object of love. Hence, there are criminal cases with dousing with acid or threats against a lover.

In sex, too, there are many cases of frustration. A classic example for a man: the lack of an erection or the inability to satisfy a partner. The woman also has typical sexual frustration, characterized by difficulty reaching orgasm, which is repeated over and over again. This frustrated state will begin to manifest itself especially clearly after a woman experiences an orgasm and already knows what it is and what she has lost once again.

How to cope?

This state is sometimes impossible to avoid, and it brings, basically, disappointment and emotional decline. But frustration can and should be fought, striving to ensure that the negative does not harm so much. nervous system, did not spoil the mood and was not an obstacle to achieving the goal. What do psychologists advise?

1. Autotraining. The simplest thing a person can try to do is in the first seconds after the onset of a state of frustration. Count to 10, inhale deeply and exhale.
2. Accept the situation and try to get rid of the victim syndrome. If nothing can be changed, there is no need to lament and think "But if everything were different ...". This will only worsen your situation and make you even more upset.
3. Prepare in advance and calculate possible problems in advance. A classic example: to go to the station in advance, saving a few minutes for force majeure (traffic jams, for example).
4. The ability to switch. Some people, on the other hand, increase frustration with sad thoughts, sad songs, or watching dark TV shows. And you need to do the opposite. Something didn't work? Well, let me, but now I can go to the store and buy myself something tasty. And at the same time, cheerful rhythmic music should play in the headphones, which sets you in a positive mood and thinking.

Sooner or later, a person reaches such a state as frustration tolerance. This is the ability to withstand unfavorable situations and with honor, and sometimes even with profit for oneself, get out of them. Someone thinks that this is a whole art, but in fact it is enough to master the above techniques.

Obviously, each of us has our own list of needs. Each of us has a motivation to bring these needs to their logical conclusion. When there is not enough strength (mental or physical) to cope with difficulties, realizing our plans, we begin to be haunted by an unpleasant mental state, the name of which is frustration.

Psychology characterizes this term very ambiguously. The first to mention frustration as a phenomenon was the famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud in his article “On the Types of Neurotic Diseases”, published at the beginning of the twentieth century. Freud and his followers found a direct relationship between frustration and irascibility, aggression, nervous exhaustion. According to the original concept, this state is characterized by constant tension, neurotic anxiety and increased hostility.

There are also alternative theories. Thus, the psychologist from the USA Karen Jordi in her famous work “New Ways in Psychoanalysis” says that frustration is not necessarily associated with hostility and aggression, people affected by this disease suffer, do not receive the expected results from their activities, but at the same time do not show hostility and aggression.

When and why does frustration occur?

It is worth noting that not every case of “failed” activity activates frustration. It all depends on psychological features specific personality, its ability to accept reality, the ability to perceive the world.

The most common causes of frustration are:

For strong personality: a series of constant stresses in which a person eventually ceases to believe in himself.

For a weak person: enough small setbacks, going in a linear fashion, a person with low self-esteem may perceive their situation as "distressed".

A frustrated state can arise under the pressure of various circumstances, as well as in internal conflicts of the personality. Factors hindering the achievement of goals can be divided into the following groups:

• material and resource: lack of elementary means to achieve the goals;
• psychological nature: various phobias, complexes that interfere with life;
• physiological and biological: these are diseases, various physical injuries, disabilities, etc.;
• social and cultural: the case when the norms of morality and ethics, as well as the religious environment, interfere with the achievement of goals.

Being in a state of frustration, a person experiences depression, anxiety, in some cases people feel the inevitability of their situation, they are visited by suicidal thoughts. A frustrated person becomes irritable, it is more pleasant for her to be in illusions, distance herself, escaping into a fictional world.

What can frustration lead to? How to deal with it?

Frustration, as a complex phenomenon, has several ways of expression:

• depression, depressed state, pessimistic assessment of one's capabilities;
• obsession with one stereotypical scenario of behavior, even if it does not bring any results;
• the desire to replace one unsatisfied need with another;
• in frustration, aggression can be directed both at the object of "failure" and at oneself;
• emotional regression. The person turns to primitive emotions, tries to achieve his goal through pity;
• by displacement, a person can conditionally change his goals, changing the object of frustration itself;
• Ultimately, almost any person who has experienced frustration tries to find positive moments in his activity through a rationalistic approach, tries to intensify his efforts to achieve the goal.

Frustration, in terms of duration and depth of impact on the psyche, can vary greatly. There are long depressions, and there are also short outbursts of aggression. For some personality types, a frustrated state is part of the character, for others it is only an episodic worsening of the psychosomatic state.

Analyzing frustration, it is necessary to identify its connection with other negative phenomena that can affect the psyche. For example, stress. It is most often a kind of "detonator". Stress itself, like frustration, is associated with negative factors, but in general, it is easier to overcome. To defeat this state, you need to understand yourself, find your strengths and weaknesses, analyze the experience gained and try to draw up an "escape plan". The main thing is not to stop; If one plan doesn't work, another will.

Protracted frustration is very dangerous. A constant lack of self-confidence, failure, all this can lead to chronic depression. In this case, depression is a protective mechanism, it is a kind of "bell" for the body. It means a greater intensity of psychological stress and indicates the need for rest.

Quite often, when it comes to a strong personality, frustration can be useful. It encourages a person to take decisive, sometimes insane actions that can help achieve goals.

Frustration can have devastating consequences for the psyche, it is very important to find the right way out in right time. It is important to be able to switch attention to other targets and be flexible in terms of tactics. Meditation helps to relieve stress, during it it is ideal to remember the good moments from your life and mentally increase the feeling of joy.

However, if the slightest trouble causes uncontrollable outbursts of anger, if only bad thoughts arise in the head, there is a reason to see a doctor!

Frustration... Behind this terrible word lies a negative state caused by the fact that we cannot satisfy our needs. Frustration is always at least unpleasant, and sometimes even unbearable. We experience frustration when we quarrel with someone, when our boss or a negligent colleague pisses us off, when we simply don’t get what we want: a vacation fell through, a headache ruined plans for the evening, a taxi called in advance did not arrive ... What to do with it feeling? Take it out on everyone, scream and cry? Hiding your annoyance behind a fake smile? Depression (aggression directed at oneself) and aggression (anger directed at others) are negative ways out of frustration, but there are also positive ones.

There are special techniques and techniques that allow you to safely get out of the state of frustration. Once you take them into service, you can always turn mental turmoil into balance and comfort.

Revaluation

If something doesn't work out for you, don't give up! Set yourself another goal and fight again. For example, you were denied a loan. Reevaluate your options and make another attempt to contact the bank.

Rationalization

A philosophical view of the world helps in the fight against frustration.

Sometimes it becomes easier if you say to yourself: “It can be worse”, “So now is not the time.” All these thought forms help to survive failure and accept the situation as it is and gain strength to improve it.

Son brought a deuce? It doesn't matter, it's a matter of life. If you think like this, then you can not waste time and nerves on swearing at a negligent student, but take more effective steps to resolve the situation, for example, sit down together and sort out incomprehensible material.

Sublimation

The most mature and effective form of getting out of frustration. We direct negative energy to achieve beneficial goals.

One form of sublimation is physical activity. Sports help burn excess stress hormone - cortisol. If you are angry, then those sports that include strikes will help you most effectively: tennis, boxing, etc. Work related to dissecting the whole, dividing into parts is also effective: sawing, digging the earth.

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

The reason may also be the total incompatibility of the available opportunities and desires. Therefore, the mental state of frustration refers to emotional and traumatic states, expressed in a sense of frustration of various plans and plans, a sense of deception, constant failures, vain expectations.

Reasons for the development of frustration

A feature of 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 self-esteem of the subject. The presence of any obstacle, which is commonly referred to in such cases as a “frustrator”, can in itself have a negative effect on the individual.

Frustration factors 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 working capacity and health, or loss of loved one. Do not forget about conflicts that can arise both in the individual himself in the form of a struggle of motives and beliefs, and develop externally, as a struggle of the subject himself with society, 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.

A rather undesirable consequence of such a state is the conscious replacement of the real world and situations with fictional ones, the development of pronounced aggression, isolation, deformation of the personality and the development of a number of complexes. Any violation of plans and expectations entails the development of doubts about one's own strengths, future, further undertakings and plans.

Often this is accompanied by a total violation of the subject's social ties, his isolation, which occur as a result of the development of distrust towards people. It should be noted that frustration brings both constructive and destructive changes in personality. The former can be expressed in a certain concentration of attention and efforts of the individual 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 anything other than a potential “frustrator”. 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 the denial of assistance for which you turned to your neighbor or to the best friend, being late for an important meeting, leaving "in front of the nose" public transport, large bills for certain services, inadvertent criticism addressed to you, which you considered excessively exaggerated. At the same time, signs of the development of frustration can for a long time go 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 soon demonstrates the extinction of motivation, loss of efficiency and productivity. characteristic feature is also the fact that the individual can continue to conduct 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 from without, and this resistance can be passive or active.

Frustration is rarely characteristic of people with an adaptive personality type. This is due to the fact that such a person, as a rule, in the event of a series of failures or other irritating factors, only increases his personal motivation, 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 state is that it has a constructive effect, increasing the subject's attraction to the opposite sex.

Frustration on the basis of love can develop both as a result of parting with the object of love and adoration, and as a result of the absence of the desired sensations and satisfaction of the needs that were expected throughout the relationship. It can manifest itself in extremely inadequate behavior, the development of irritability, aggressiveness, and a growing sense of anxiety. When the topic of love frustration is raised, the question arises as to whether there can 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 ties, and exactly the relationship between two partners, always contain some element of dependence. Frustration on the basis of love will never come if you strive for your partner, relying on personal strength, and not on your weaknesses.

Getting rid of frustration

The question naturally arises: what can get 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 methods of spending time, which will fully make us feel more satisfied and happy.

When spending time doing what you love, be sure to analyze what caused your failure. Evaluate your strengths, find mistakes, correct them. If necessary, you can always turn to those who will help you understand yourself, your personal shortcomings and qualities that do not satisfy you, as well as suggest methods by which you can correct the situation in your favor.

A state of dissatisfaction that occurs when the expected and the actual do not match, that is, on the way to the desired goal, some insurmountable obstacle arises, which leads to a strong experience.

A frustrated person finds an outlet for his feelings either through aggression directed at others, or despairs and withdraws, blaming himself.

The phenomenon was studied by such scientists as Simonov, Maslow, Freud, and many behaviorists. Needs were defined and expectations associated with them identified. Needs are biological, social, ideal (spiritual). If a person cannot satisfy any need, then he has mental stress, which leads to frustration. In other words, frustration is emotional stress.

Effects

Frustration is a triggering mechanism for starting a conflict. directed at another person or object (such people crush everything, break it). A persistent individual who knows how to analyze the situation and control himself will try to use external conditions and his internal forces to find the best options for getting out of the current situation. On the contrary, a person who does not know how to control himself, at the moment of the onset of a frustration situation, becomes impulsive, loses self-control, gets angry, scandals, insults, and can use physical force.

Sometimes a person reacts to a situation by leaving. Aggression does not manifest itself openly, but is compensated by psychological barriers, such as sublimation (aggression - sport, sex - creativity); fantasy (dreams, dream world); rationalization (intellectual justification of one's behavior). In some cases, a person begins to regress, i.e. replaces a difficult, unattainable task with an easier one. Fixation occurs when an individual becomes obsessed with an unattained goal, resulting in complete paralysis of activity (cannot think about anything else, cannot do anything).

Main frustration reasons

Interpersonal relationships:

Relationships in the family (household problems, money, children).

Relationships at work (the discrepancy between the labor expended and the remuneration received leads to dissatisfaction with superiors, colleagues, etc.).

- (excitation does not find a way out, discharge).

Frustration is a traumatic situation. It invokes certain behavior:

Destruction and aggression;

Prolonged arousal;

Fixed behavior (stereotype);

Regression.

Frustration. Treatment

Frustration is not a disease and cannot be cured. In order to understand the situation that led to dissatisfaction, disappointment, the collapse of hopes, you need to have the ability to introspect. Psychotherapists advise to "roll" the situation back, like a film, and try to imagine all the events in a different way, that is, paint a different picture with a positive ending. This is necessary for the speedy exit from the state of frustration.

In sexual relationships, frustration can lead to neurotic sleep, hysteria, and sexual dysfunction. If you do not turn to a psychologist or psychotherapist in time, then serious consequences are possible, up to impotence in men and sexual coldness in women. At best, couples break up.

To overcome the state of frustration, it is necessary to develop resilience in oneself, the ability to analyze the situation and accept it as another experience, and not a blow of fate.