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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 position. 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 involuntarily extricate himself from the situation, inventing new way meet 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, getting 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 a psychological technique helps people to bypass 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: new position you didn’t get (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 the nervous system so much, does not spoil the mood and is 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 ahead. 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.

Everyone knows the feeling that occurs when a desire that seemed achievable suddenly becomes unavailable. In psychology, this experience is denoted by the word "frustration".

What is frustration?

In psychology, briefly, frustration is a mental state that occurs during the blockade of purposeful activity. "Frustratio", translated from Latin, - "failure", "vain expectation", "deception", "disorder of the plan".

Examples of frustrating situations:

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

An individual, in order to satisfy a certain need, chooses a goal and organizes his actions, striving to achieve it. When the possibility of implementing the plan encounters insurmountable obstacles, the chain of events “desire, goal - result” breaks, mental stress arises. The state of frustration can find expression ranging from a slight feeling of annoyance to a feeling of hopelessness and experiencing 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 fragrant soup is already on the table, "under the nose", but it is suddenly taken away.
  2. The level of energy consumption. The more effort, time and other resources spent to achieve the goal, the stronger the frustration. To lose in a sports competition for which you did not prepare at all is not so insulting than to fail after a year of exhausting training.
  3. The intensity of frustrated desire. A suddenly broken lunch will cause less negative feelings in a person who has 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 strongest frustration is observed in the case when the leading activity of a person is blocked. Since it is usually with its help that the need for the meaning of life is satisfied. For example, a person who positions himself primarily as a pianist injures his hand and loses 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 barriers is greatly exaggerated or, conversely, underestimated at the stage of activity planning, which leads to a frustration reaction.
  6. The functional state of a person in a frustration situation. Accumulated stress as a result of previous failures can provoke a strong surge of negative emotions in response to even the slightest provocation.
  7. The individual level of frustration tolerance is the threshold of tolerance for frustration, the ability to endure emerging difficulties in life without mental shifts and disorganization of behavior.

Reasons for the development of frustration

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

  1. Privatization - the initial lack of the necessary tools and resources for For example, the lack of vocal data for building a career in the opera house.
  2. Deprivation is the loss of objects previously used to satisfy a need and to which a strong attachment was formed. For example, the death of a child, a fire in the house in which he lived all his life.
  3. Conflict (conflict) - the impossibility of satisfying a need due to the presence of two incompatible motives, ambivalent feelings, a conflict of interests. For example, the desire of a university professor to have an affair with a student runs into the conviction that this is unprofessional, unethical.

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

  • 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 psychologically easier to bear, because they allow you to transfer guilt from yourself to other objects. If a person sees the cause of failures in himself, this often leads to self-flagellation.

Also, the development of frustration is influenced by the legitimacy of the frustrators and the claims of the individual. In most cases, if a person is convinced that his legal rights have been somehow violated, then he experiences more pronounced frustration.

Response to frustration

The primary reaction to a frustrating situation is usually aggression, which is either contained, 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 in the process of life.

A person with a high level of frustration tolerance quickly copes with negative feelings and can demonstrate surprise, cognitive interest in relation to an object, a situation that impedes the achievement of a goal, and sports passion. A person with low adaptive skills slides down the emotional scale and falls into more difficult emotional states than irritation and anger. There are depressive reactions, an increase in anxiety, fears.

Depression can be seen as the opposite of aggression. It is characterized by a feeling of impotence, hopelessness, a feeling that "life is over", apathy, the extinction of motivation.

Often there is an obsessive fixation on activities that have become useless or even dangerous in the new conditions. Fixation is associated with the rigidity of the psyche, the stereotype of perception and thinking, the inability to “let go of the situation”, switch to a new goal, abandon the old 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 a failure that has occurred absorbs all the thoughts of a person, makes him endlessly analyze his behavior and study the frustrator in detail.

In the direction of aggression, reactions are distinguished:

  • extrapunitive response (anger, anger, indignation) - the desire to blame others for what happened,;
  • intropunitive response (feeling of shame, pangs of conscience) - self-accusation;
  • imputive response - a philosophical attitude to the events that have occurred as something inevitable, the lack of desire to look for the guilty.

Depending on what a person fixes on, there are three types of reaction to a frustration situation:

  • fixation on an obstacle: “it’s so unfair, you need to fight it”, “wow, it’s even more interesting to play like that”;
  • fixation on self-defense: “if you had explained everything to me right away, I could have done it”;
  • fixation on the satisfaction of the need: an active search for a solution and the help of others, or the position "somehow everything will resolve itself."

Behavioral patterns in frustration

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 protective mechanisms leads to a distortion of the perception of those aspects of reality with which a person is not able to come to terms. The process is not realized by a person, because otherwise the ego-protective mechanisms would lose their strength.

Each specific person is characterized by his own, individual "repertoire" of protective behavior (depending on the type of personality, gender, age). Consider the manifestations of the most common

crowding out

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

substitution

Substitution - the replacement of an object, needs by others, more accessible and safe for discharge. The operation of this mechanism explains how troubles at work provoke quarrels at home. The inability to enter into open conflict with superiors leads to the defuse of aggression on a more dependent spouse or child.

If the replaced action or desire is morally unacceptable, and the replacing action is acceptable, then such a process is called sublimation. For example, the same aggression can be defuse by engaging in intense physical exercise.

Substitution can also include withdrawal into fantasizing, dependence on psychoactive substances. As well as the devaluation of a 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."

Replacing one feeling with another, usually the opposite, is called reactive transformation. At the same time, unacceptable emotions cease to be realized, and acceptable ones are hypertrophied. For example, paranoid individuals may suppress attraction, interest in another person, considering these feelings dangerous for themselves, and shift the focus to suspicion and hatred.

Intellectualization

This mechanism of psychological defense consists in the logical understanding of events from the position of good-bad, useful-useless and relegating to the background the significance of information that provides really experienced emotions. An example of intellectualization is the reasoning of a person that death brought to his deceased relative deliverance 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. Intellectualization when faced with a frustrating situation is perceived as a mature approach to the problem, therefore it usually finds approval and support in society and becomes an attractive strategy for many people.

However, intellectualization also has its drawbacks. It leads to the loss of the opportunity to fully experience their 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, indifference.

Regression

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

So, the impossibility for some reason to realize one's talent, vocation, can lead along the path of seeking self-affirmation in society (a dizzying career, a high social status as an end in itself).

The inability to be realized in society results in the creation of love or friendship relationships that compensate for the loss of self-worth. Feeling the weakness of his "I", a person can "join" another person who has realized himself and feel his significance. “I am the wife of a respected professor”, “I am best friend successful actor.

The inability to meet the needs of the two higher levels inevitably leads to abuses at the lower. A person sleeps too much, eats too much. He buys things he does not need, just to fill the inner emptiness.

Frustration in personal life

It is interesting in that the difficulties on the way to the realization of romantic feelings only increase the attraction of people to each other. Other needs, desires and interests fade into the background.

Outwardly, love frustration can find expression in behavior that cannot be called deeds. loving person. The proverb “beats means loves” in the framework of the study of frustration in psychology acquires new meaning. 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, acid pouring, sexual and physical violence.

Frustration also occurs when a partner is objectively unable to meet our emotional needs. For example, a woman hopes that having met a man who loves her, she will finally feel loved, adored, beautiful. However, he is faced with the fact that in relationships 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 never be enough. And she will experience frustration every time a man switches his attention to other areas of life - work, friends, hobbies, even common children.

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

Poverty as a frustrator

In conditions of chronic change people's ideas about the nature of happiness. Here it is useful to recall a parable. The poor man complains about the crampedness of his one-room apartment, in which he has to huddle with all his numerous relatives. The wise man advises the poor man to put a dog in the same room for a while, poultry and other living creatures to get a feel for what really is a catastrophic situation. Happiness is relative.

Poverty leads to frustration not only when it is not possible to satisfy basic personal and family needs. The financial situation becomes the most powerful frustrator when a society consists of people with different income levels. Despite an objectively high standard of living, a person drives himself into a state of frustration with the help of an upward social comparison.

Especially strong frustration is observed if a person believes that all the rich create their fortunes exclusively by illegal and immoral ways. Also, a person's perception of himself as poor, destitute, depends on the ratio of his claims and real achievements.

How to deal with frustration?

Psychologists offer several ways to get out of frustration.

Replacing the means to an end

Increased mental and emotional stress can be used to analyze the actions taken and find alternative ways to achieve the goal. For example, a girl refused to meet with you. You are experiencing frustration. Feel Before you finally fall into pessimism, you should think about why the girl you liked actually refused you.

Not everyone in love is easy going. Some people need time to realize that they are exactly the person they dreamed about. It is possible that the girl who refused you is not sure of her feelings. And it’s easier for her to refuse you right away than to give you, perhaps, a vain hope. Try changing your approach. An alternative solution is to offer a non-binding friendship to give the person the opportunity to get to know you better.

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

Target replacement

Just as you can find many ways to achieve the same goal, you can find an alternative goal with which to satisfy a need or desire. In hypnotherapy, for example, there are techniques that allow you to transfer the feeling of being 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 can ever feel 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 not possible, then people would not marry happily several times during their lives and would not find the meaning of life in new activity after losing the opportunity to do what you love. For example, actor A. Banderas wanted to become a football player, but after a leg injury, the dream of a sports career had to be abandoned. It is unlikely that the world famous actor is still experiencing frustration because of unfulfilled teenage hopes.

Reassessment of the situation

The obvious solution to get out of a state of frustration caused by internal conflict is to choose between alternatives. Address 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 core values ​​will help you deal with anxiety and fear. If you cannot solve the problem on your own, contact a specialist. Psychologist-hypnologist

Frustration is the body's emotional response to encountering or having an obstacle. Frustration can have both internal and external sources, and no one is immune from the negative impact of the collapse of hopes, lack of support and the fact that everything is not going in your favor. However, there are a number of techniques that can help you reduce frustration in everyday life, including changing your own worldview to be more realistic and understanding of what is happening, learning to identify and understand the causes of frustration, and learning relaxation techniques to bring yourself into that state. in which the above changes will become possible.

Steps

Part 1

Understanding the causes of frustration and how to avoid it in everyday life

    Assess the degree of your own frustration. To see if your frustration is out of bounds acceptable limits you will need to answer a series of questions. As a result, you may come to the conclusion that you are experiencing an extreme degree of frustration, in which case it is quite reasonable to see a therapist or start attending anger management classes.

    • Are you often irritable?
    • Is your usual reaction to frustration blaming and attacking other people?
    • Do you use "self-medication" such as alcohol, drugs, or overeating?
    • Do you often hurt other people's feelings when you react to frustration?
    • Do you experience a residual sense of misunderstanding when the wave of frustration passes?
    • Do you often lose control of yourself in the middle of a difficult work or school day?
    • When you get upset, do you often feel like you are worthless or that it is simply impossible to live like this?
  1. Understand the potential causes of frustration. Spend some time speaking or writing about potential sources of frustration in your life. Be as specific as possible about the triggers for your frustration. Perhaps it is called by your colleague or fellow student, or the way someone does or says something. Try to consider whether this source of frustration is something you would like to control but can't. For example, you cannot influence the other person's point of view. However, you can decide whether or not to include this person in the conversation.

    • This way you can understand and accept these things in the long run, which will give you more patience in similar situations in the future.
    • Or you may find that some sources of frustration can be completely avoided. For example, if you usually drive home from work on a very busy road with slow traffic, then changing the route to another longer but less busy one will avoid traffic jams and unnecessary nerves.
  2. Carefully analyze the reasons for your frustration. Frustration is not always unreasonable, it can be a perfectly reasonable response to real and complex problems and challenges in your life. However, by believing that every problem has a solution, frustration can lead to feeling that something is wrong with you or your life if you can't handle it. Instead of trying to overcome difficulties once and for all, try to focus on cultivating a healthy and helpful attitude towards the problem. Understand the reason for its appearance in your life, be ready to accept it and learn the corresponding lesson.

    • Understanding that the source of frustration may not always be justified will help you learn to deal with situations without any irrational action due to frustration. For example, you will think twice before quitting your office job because your printer is constantly chewing paper.
  3. Understand your natural rhythms. Time management is very important, especially when it comes to protecting yourself from frustration. You are absolutely capable of solving the problems that are very often encountered on your way, but not at this moment. Take the time to review your energy rhythms throughout the day. For example, you may notice that in the morning you find it easier to deal with difficult tasks, and in the afternoon you are too tired to deal with accounts or make serious decisions. Avoid frustration by doing the right things at the right time for them, when you are able to handle them.

    Organize your daily routine. Having a number of routines in your life will allow you to reduce its exposure to the influence of momentary decisions. This will reduce the amount of frustration due to regular encounters with new things in everyday life. If everyday tasks, being late, or running out of time are your sources of frustration, then it's especially important for you to try to organize and follow a daily routine for yourself.

    • List the things you absolutely have to do as key items in your schedule, such as showing up for work or picking up your child from school. Then, in between key events, you can schedule things like paying bills, shopping, and having a nice morning workout.
    • Don't overstress yourself by trying to fit everything into your schedule. the smallest details. Instead, try to organize those few hours of time that usually don't have any particular structure so that they run more smoothly. You will be less frustrated by minor inconveniences such as traffic or banking difficulties, knowing that you are working towards allocating a specific amount of time for these matters.
  4. Set reasonable goals for yourself. Frustration often comes from trying to manipulate or change things that don't really matter. When you're about ready to snap or demand from someone, or try to change some things on your own to suit your own preferences, ask yourself if this will make any difference to you tomorrow (or next week, in next year). There is a possibility that you can leave everything alone and forget about it.

    • You may also ask yourself if you really care deeply about the frustrating situation. If it does not affect your inner values ​​in any way, then you can try to go ahead just like that. In this case, just laugh at yourself and let things take their course.
  5. Clean up the ways you communicate. When you are frustrated with negative thoughts and judgments, you are not the only one who bears the burden, because the people around you can also become trapped in your mood. If you get frustrated while talking to someone, try to slow down and start thinking about what you're saying. Ask yourself if it would be helpful to say the first thing that comes to mind (for example: "Why are you so incompetent?"). Thoughtless phrases usually only lead to aggravation and spread of frustration.

    • Listen carefully to what the interlocutor says to you, try to understand his reasons. Keep this in mind when preparing your answer, leaning more towards understanding than hasty judgment.
    • For example, if you are angry that your roommates never do the dishes, approach them and ask them without prejudice if they know that doing the dishes is a shared responsibility and if there is anything preventing them from doing their share of the obligations. So your negotiations will take place in a more peaceful manner than if you immediately called your neighbors lazy idiots (after all, this is what you will think at the moment of frustration).
  6. Use healthy ways to release frustration. If peaceful resolution of situations is not easy for you (and it usually takes time to cultivate such behavior), try to release frustration in a way that does not harm other people. Yell at the pillow or hit it until you get tired. Sometimes it is easier to get rid of frustration by releasing anger than by mitigating it. So trust that your frustration will go away if you let it out instead of directly trying to manipulate or intervene in the situation that is causing you frustration.

    • Do this when you are frustrated for a long time or have nothing to do with the frustrating situation. First, make sure you are in a place where you will not scare other people with your anger release.

    Part 2

    Changing your attitude to what is happening to reduce frustration
    1. Accept the frustration. You can start making a molehill out of a fly if you become frustrated with the frustration itself. When you feel frustration, just try to look at it without prejudice that it is something "bad" or something that "shouldn't be." Instead of judging, try to accept these feelings without trying to avoid or change them. The practice of accepting your own feelings involves giving up your instinctive desire to resist frustration and teaches you to accept whatever you feel.

      Let go of unrealistic expectations. People often feel frustrated with unrealistic expectations of themselves and others. Usually a person has a clear vision of what the outcome of a particular situation should be, but when again and again the reality turns out to be completely different, he begins to experience frustration. Ask yourself, do you expect too much and do you have perfectionist tendencies? There is a possibility that your frustration is related to the unsatisfactory results of the development of the event for you.

      • Ask yourself if there is anything “good enough” in the situation. Frustration usually dissolves when you make a conscious decision to stop trying to influence events. Let the situation develop on its own, instead of trying to control it. Remember that you can only change own reactions, not someone else's behavior.
      • Then shift your thinking from expectation to reality, focusing on current positive events rather than what you expect but might not happen.
      • If there's a particular expectation that you're stuck on, for example, you think, "The person I'm dating should be more concerned about me than about their job." - remind yourself that this is your personal expectation, which may not be realistic for all people. After that, you must decide either to accept the person as they are, or to look for another lover for yourself, because the light has not converged on this.
    2. Identify and change irrational thinking. People who are highly frustrated tend to swear and speak loudly. This reflects their exaggerated catastrophic thoughts, which are not entirely adequate to the actual state of affairs. Try to replace such thoughts with rational thoughts that will help you contain your frustration and deal with your feelings.

      Cheer up with humor. The fun fact about frustration is that if you step back from the situation and look at the big picture, you will find it funny! While in the process of accepting the situation for what it is, and noticing that the problem is not as important as you thought, allow yourself a moment to laugh at yourself. Think about how ridiculous it is that just a few seconds ago you were so worried about something trivial.

      Don't forget gratitude. While frustration often causes people to blame everything and focus on what is not going according to plan, a grateful attitude towards life can be a good antidote. When you start to feel frustrated, try to change your perspective by reminding yourself of what you value in a particular person or in some feature of the current situation. This is a very effective way to reduce frustration with the people who are important to you, because they exist in your life thanks to all those things. good qualities that you value in them.

      Look for comfort in simple things. It will be difficult for you to become frustrated if you begin to admire any small pleasures in life. Realizing that frustration quickly passes when you regain control of yourself, start spending your free time contemplating nature, eating well, or listening to soothing music. Use your favorite ways to cheer up, making your way from frustration to the ability to appreciate the present moment.

    The key to doing a relaxing visualization is to connect as many senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell) to it as possible. To do this, you need to go to a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. While doing this, you should take a relaxed posture, as if you were meditating.

    • For example, if you visualize a green meadow, try to imagine the feeling of grass under your feet, the scents of the forest, and the singing of birds flying from tree to tree.
  7. Learn progressive muscle relaxation. This technique involves consistent tension and relaxation of all major muscle groups. One way to conduct muscle relaxation is to move from the bottom up from the tips of the toes to the neck and head. Tighten the selected muscle group for 5 seconds, and then relax it for another 30 seconds. Repeat the procedure until you reach the very top (or bottom, depending on the chosen method of relaxation).

    • These exercises will help you begin to better understand when your muscles are tense and when they are relaxed. This is an added bonus, thanks to which you will be able to notice your tension in a timely manner and take measures to relax or change your occupation accordingly.
  8. Take a break from your computer. A lot of frustration modern life gives rise to extensive communication with machines that are unable to empathize with human feelings. If your life is connected with the constant use of the computer, try to take breaks for yourself and reduce its use in situations where this is possible.

    • When it comes to socialization, then meeting a person face to face, and not over the network, can significantly facilitate communication and make it completely relaxed. Try to balance your stay in in social networks good healthy personal communication.
  9. Set aside time for yourself. Another source of unreasonable frustration can be the lack of time for oneself. At the very least, setting aside some time for yourself will allow you to learn and start using relaxation techniques. Look at your schedule and try to find a window in it that will allow you to devote some time to yourself. It would be ideal to set aside a couple of hours for this. Spend this time on activities that will inspire you, on those things that you usually do not have the opportunity to do during the work week.

    • If you have an artistic or creative hobby, such as painting, sculpting, composing music, or cooking, try doing that. Creative activities help people feel more connected to their inner selves.

Everyone experiences frustration from time to time. However, it requires treatment only in the case when the person is not able to cope with the situation that has arisen.

What is frustration? Terminology

Frustration is in psychology such a state of the human psyche, in which his desires do not correspond to reality - there are insurmountable obstacles on the way to them, or the possibilities do not cover all aspirations. A term close to the English word "disappointment" and derived from the Latin "failure", "deceit".

Each of these translations is present in the original definition of the term "frustration". This is the emotional state that comes after the destruction of all hopes. You can pick up several different definitions to describe what frustration is, and there will always be a few nuances. It is proposed to consider the most important of them.

What is the difference between frustration and disappointment?

Frustration is a term in psychology associated with obstacles, failures and limitations on the way to goals. In order to debunk the myth about the similarity of frustration with a feeling familiar to everyone and much simpler in terminology - disappointment, it should be pointed out that, unlike a disappointed, frustrated (by someone or something) person does not give up his aspirations, but continues to believe in them and go to them.

By the way, the obstacles due to which a person can find himself in a given mental state are not always even real, fictional ones can have an equally strong influence on him, and in some cases even more.

The connection of frustration with the unreal world, in principle, is great - avoiding problems in your own fantasies is always easier than solving them, although it is the worst cure for disappointment. This also forms the second part of the definition of frustration: a person who prefers fiction to facts continues to move towards his goals, guided, however, by fantasy ideas about reality. At the same time, his consciousness already knows the truth, and therefore frustration becomes inevitable.

Frustration and deprivation

Disappointment, in turn, is not the only thing that is associated with frustration. Just as often, in conversations about what frustration is, deprivation and aggression are recalled - independent terms that together form a causal relationship.

Deprivation is a mental state based on the fact of the absence of something, usually circumstances, to which a person has been accustomed for a long period of time. It can manifest itself both as a separate state and as a prerequisite for frustration in the presence of a certain development of events.

Frustration and aggression

Aggression is also either a symptom or a consequence of many mental states, but its relationship specifically with frustration tends to change and remain unchanged even in the absence of external manifestations. It is authentically known that aggression is an objective result of frustration. L. Berkowitz, investigating this problem, came to the conclusion that, despite the fact that it is possible to change the probability of manifestation of aggression, the mere fact that it is aggressive actions that become the object of attention of a psychologist means that aggression is the main consequence of a person’s limitation.

Frustration symptoms. Consequences

At the same time, there is another classification, according to which aggressive behavior is only one of the points. This classification is as follows:

    Emotional aggression. Even with the distribution of behavior patterns, this consequence is the most common.