Conflict and

Frustration

What is frustration ?
When does it occur ?

As an event, the circumstances that block or interfere with goaldirected activity is frustration.

What Factors
Cause
Frustration ?

What Factors Cause frustration

Physical

Environment
Social Environment
Individuals Own Limitation
Conflict

Physical Environment
Example:

Obstacle such as traffic

jams, crowded lines at the
supermarket, droughts that destroy
a farmer crops, noise that prevents
concentration, floods that delay us
in our travel.

Social Environment
Example:

Restrictions imposed by
other people laws, customs, norms
of society.

Individuals Own Limitation

Example:

Lack of specific abilities,

physical handicaps.

Conflict
What

is a conflict?

Related to frustration is the state of

conflict which results when we must
make a choice of alternatives and cannot
arrive at a decision.

One

of the confusing things about

frustration and conflict is that each may
be the consequence of the other.

Conflict
Ex.

Boy meets girl, asks for a date

and is turn down: result
frustration. Should be ask again or
give up? --Conflict

Four
Types of
Conflict

Four Types of Conflict

Avoidance

Approach conflict
Approach Approach conflict
Avoidance Avoidance conflict
Double or multiple approachavoidance conflict

Approach-Avoidance conflict
we

both want and don't want

something.

Approach Approach conflict

we

have two or more good choices

but can't have them both.

+G

+G

Avoidance Avoidance conflict

we

have two or more alternatives

but none of them seems desirable.

-G

-G

Double or multiple approachavoidance conflict

we

are faced with many choices,

each with complex positive and
negative aspects.

Job
Offer A

Job Offer
B

Causes of
Conflict

Causes of Conflict
Independence

vs dependence
Intimacy vs Isolation
Cooperation vs competition
Impulses expression vs moral
standards

Independence vs dependence
In

time of stress we may want to resort

to the dependence characteristics of
childhood, to have someone take care of
us and solve our problems. But we are
taught that the ability to stand on our
own and assume responsibilities is a
mark of maturity.

Intimacy vs Isolation
The

desire to be close to another and to

share our innermost thoughts and
emotions may conflict with the fear of
being hurt or rejected if we expose too
much of ourselves.

Cooperation vs competition
Competitions

begins in early childhood,

among siblings continues through
school, and culminates in business and
professional rivalry. At the same time,
we are urged to cooperate with the help
of others. Such contradictory
expectations have the potential for
producing conflict

Impulses expression vs moral

standards
All

societies have to regulate impulses to

some degree. Sex and aggression are
two areas in which our impulses most
frequently conflict with moral standards.
The violation of these standards may
generate strong feelings of guilt.

What are some of

the Immediate
Reactions to
Frustration

1. Aggression
Generally

, aggression is a kind of
behavior intended to harm another
person. It is either physically or verbally.
There are also two kinds of aggression
namely:

a. Direct aggression
b. Displaced Aggression (Indirect

2. Apathy
This

is another response to frustration which is

just the opposite of aggression. This kind of
behavior shows indifference or withdrawal.
Children whose aggressive outburst are never
successful, who find they have no power to
satisfy their needs by means of their own
actions, may well resort to apathy and
withdrawal when confronted with subsequent
frustrating situations.

3.Regression
This

behavior is described as a turn to

childish forms of behavior. Adults
sometimes resort to immature forms of
behavior when faced with frustrating
situations like to yell or start a fist fight,
give up any attempt to cope and seek
someone to solve the problem for them.

Defense
Mechanism

Defense Mechanism
Defense

mechanism refers to the

unconscious processes that protect a
person against anxiety by distorting
reality in some way.

Types of Defense Mechanism

Denial

Compensation

Repression

Overcompensation

Sublimation

Catharsis

Rationalization
Reaction-Formation
Projection
Intellectualization
Displacement

1.Denial
This

is a defense mechanism by which

unacceptable impulses or ideas are not
perceived or allowed into full

2. Repression
This

is a denial of an impulse or memory

that might provoke feelings of guilt by its
disappearance from awareness. This
denial is a defense against internal
threats.

3. Sublimation
is

a defense mechanism that allows us

to act out unacceptable impulses by
converting these behaviors into a more
acceptable form.

For example, a person experiencing

extreme anger might take up kickboxing as a means of venting frustration.

4. Rationalization
A

defense mechanism in which selfesteem is maintained by assigning

plausible and acceptable reasons for
conduct entered on impulsively or for
less acceptable reason

5. Reaction-Formation
A

defense mechanism in which a person

denies a disapproved motive through
giving strong expression to its opposite.

6. Projection
A

defense mechanism in which people

protect themselves from awareness of
their own undesirable traits by
attributing those traits excessively to
others.

7. Intellectualization
A

defense mechanism tries to make a

person gain detachment from an
emotionally threatening situation by
dealing with it in abstract , intellectual
terms.

8. Displacement
This

refers to a motive that is not

directly expressed but appears in a more
acceptable form.

Displacement

involves taking out our

frustrations, feelings and impulses on
people or objects that are less
threatening.

9. Compensation
This

defense mechanism allows the

individual to counterbalance his feelings
of inadequacy by doing well in another
activity.

Ex. A crippled individual could develop his

physique through body-building exercise
or excelling in sports. This is a positive
compensatory act.

9. Compensation
Example

negative compensation are

found in people who pretend to be
superior than others to cover up their
feelings of inadequacy; in the student
who distracts attention of classmates or
making show offs because they
believe that nobody notices them or is in
need of recognition.

10. Overcompensation
This

is also a type of compensation for a

weakness by exerting too much effort to
overcome it.

Ex. Ludwig Van Beethoven suffered from

deafness, yet became one of the worlds
renowned musicians.

11. Catharsis
This

mechanism is helpful in releasing

some repressed feelings by taking it
out to a confidante.

Ex. Good bull sessions with friends and

T- group training used by modern
management.