Frustration in Human

Behavior
Ms. Christy Liane R. Niem
 Frustration
A situation which blocks the
individual’s motivated
behavior.
Sustained frustration may be
characterized by anxiety,
irritability, fatigue or
depression.
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 Three Basic Forms of Conflict that could result to frustration

• Approach can be indicated by a plus

(+) sign and avoidance is represented
by a minus (-) sign.
• Approach-
Avoidance Conflict • Approach-avoidance occurs when an
individual moves closer to a
seemingly desirable object, only to
have the potentially negative
consequences of contacting that
object push back against the closing
behavior.
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Three Basic Forms of Conflict that could result to frustration

• This is a conflict resulting

from the necessity of
choosing between two
• Approach-
Approach Conflict desirable alternatives.
• There are usually two
desirable things are wanted,
but only one option can be
chosen.
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Three Basic Forms of Conflict that could result to frustration

• This form of conflict involves

two undesirable or unattractive
alternatives where a person has
• Avoidance- to decide of choosing one of the
Avoidance Conflict undesirable things.
• A conflict between two
dangers or threats is usually
more disturbing.

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Manifestation of Frustration
An individual may manifest frustration
by anxiety, irritability, emotional tension,
depression or fatigue.
The frustrated individuals are usually
unhappy or restless.
Frustration may usually starts if a person
failed to satisfy his needs or goals in life.
Obstacles and difficulties sometimes
stand a way in the between the individual
and his goal.

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Some of the reason why some people failed to realize or achieve
their goals is the following:

• 1.Unrealistic Goals
• it can be seen when a person’s
level of aspiration is much
higher than his level of
achievement

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Some of the reason why some people failed to realize or achieve
their goals is the following:

• 2.Harmful or
Antisocial Goals
• when a person’s desire
or intention to reach
his goal is harmful to
others.

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Some of the reason why some people failed to realize or achieve
their goals is the following:

• 3.Conflicting Goals
• when two or more
goals of a person
rebound to his
personal interest and
the benefit of the goal
is one sided.
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Some of the reason why some people failed to realize or achieve
their goals is the following:

• 4.Environmental
Difficulties
• when goals cannot be
simply attained due to so
many hindrances within
a person.

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Frustration Tolerance

• The ability to withstand frustration

without developing inadequate modes
of response such as being emotionally
depressed or irritated, becoming
neurotic, or becoming aggressive.
• Some people can manage to withstand
prolonged period of frustration without
showing any sign of abnormality.
• However, some may exhibit abnormal
behavior

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Coping Mechanism for Frustration

• Coping mechanism is defined as the way people

react to frustration.
• People differ in the way they react to frustration.
• This could be attributed to individual differences and the
way people prepared in the developmental task they faced
during the early stages of their life.

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A frustration reaction can be broadly classified into fight-flight:
• 1.Fight
• is manifested by fighting the
problem in a constructive and
direct way by means of breaking
down the obstacles preventing
the person reaching his goals.

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A frustration reaction can be broadly classified into fight-flight:

• 2.Flight
• it can be manifested by sulking,
retreating, becoming indifferent
and giving up.

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Reactions to frustration can also be recognized into different
types such as:
• 1.Direct Approach
• can be seen among people who handle
their problems in a very objective way.
• They identify first the problem, look for
the most practical and handy way to
solve it, and proceeded with the
constructive manner of utilizing the
solution which will produce the best
results.

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 • 2.Detour
• when an individual realizes that in
finding for the right solution of the
problem, he always end up with a
negative outcome or result.
• Thus, he tries to make a detour or
change direction first and find out
if the solution or remedy is there.

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 • 3.Substitution
• most of time are resulted to in
handling frustration when an
original plan intended to solve the
problem did not produce the
intended result, thus the most
practical way to face the problem,
is to look for most possible or
alternative means.

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 • 4.Withdrawal or retreat
• is corresponding to running
away from the problem or
flight which to some is the
safest way.

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 • 5.Developing feeling of inferiority
• comes when a person is unable to
hold on to any solution which gives
• a positive result.
• Being discourage to go on
working for a way to handle a
frustration
• could result to diminishing self-
confidence, until the time when
• Inferiority complex sets in.
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 • 6.Aggression
• is a negative outcome of a
person's inability to handle frustration
• rightly.
• Manifestation in physical behavior
can be observed in one's negative
• attitudes towards life both in the
personal and professional aspect

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 Use of Defense Mechanism
• is the most tolerated way of
handling frustration.
• It is a man’s last result
when a person attempts to
overcome fear
• from an anticipated
situation or event.

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Defense Mechanism

• An unconscious psychological process

that serves as safety valve that provides
relief from emotional conflict and
anxiety.
• A form of self-deception that a person
may not be aware of.
• It is often resulted to whenever
equilibrium is threatened by severe
emotional injury arising from
frustration.

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Common Defense Mechanisms

strong emotion, such as anger, is

displaced onto another person or object
as the recipient of said emotion (anger),
• 1.Displacement rather than being focused on the person or
object which originally was the cause of
said emotion.

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 is the defense mechanism that
enables individuals to justify their
behavior to themselves and others
by making excuses or formulating
2.Rationalization fictitious, socially approved
arguments to convince themselves
and others that their behavior is
logical and acceptable

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 is the psychological defense
mechanism through which people
attempt to overcome the anxiety
3.Compensation associated with feelings of
inferiority and inadequacy in one is
of personality or body image, by
concentrating on another area where
they can excel.

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 • manifest feelings and ideas
which are unacceptable to the
ego or the superego and are
4.Projection projected onto others so that they
seem to have these feelings or
ideas, which free the individual
from the guilt and anxiety
associated with them.

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  is defined as the development of a trait
or traits which are the opposite of
tendencies that we do not want to
5.Reaction formation recognize.
 The person is motivated to act in a
certain way, but behaves in the opposite
way.
 Consequently, he is able to keep his
urges and impulses under control.

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 when a person uses this, he
refuses to recognize and deal
with reality because of
6.Denial strong inner needs.

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 is unconscious process whereby
unacceptable urges or painful
traumatic experiences are
7.Repression completely prevented from entering
consciousness.

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 • which is sometimes confused
with that of repression, is a
conscious activity by which an
individual attempts to forget
8.Suppression emotionally disturbing thoughts
and experiences by pushing them
out of his mind.

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  in this defense mechanism, an
individual seeks to overcome his own
feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, or
inferiority by taking on the characteristics
of someone who is important to him.
 9.Identification
 An example, is a child who identifies
with his parents who are seen as models
of intelligence, strength and competence

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 • through this defense mechanism, the
individual seeks to overcome feelings
of frustration and anxiety by
10.Substitution achieving alternate goals and
gratifications.
• Unanswered emotions of love,
unfulfilled longings, unattainable
plans and ambitions, and
unacceptable urges and impulses, will
create feelings of anxiety and guilt
unless some substitute gratification is
attained.
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 this is resulted to whenever
unfulfilled ambitions and
unconscious drives do not
11.Fantasy materialize

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 • a person reverst to a pattern of
feeling, thinking or behavior which
was appropriate to an earlier stage of
development.
12. REGRESSION

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 • is the process by which
instinctual drives which
consciously unacceptable are
• 13. SUBLIMATION diverted into personally and
socially accepted.
• it is a positive and constructive
mechanism for defending against
own unaccepteble impulses and
needs.

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Thank You