Bozhok N.O.

National University of Food Technologies, Kyiv, Ukraine

The psychological insight into low frustration tolerance in student’s age

A lot of students experience low frustration tolerance during learning that is why it is important to develop effective strategies to support students’ coping with frustration and form high frustration tolerance in interactive learning environments. A natural outcome of having one’s desires thwarted is frustration. The level at which an individual becomes frustrated by a particular event is often referred to as that individual’s frustration tolerance. A low frustration tolerance interferes with an individual’s ability to pursue a productive approach to problem solutions. Debilitating effects resulting from a low frustration tolerance are of an emotional nature and can be either transient or longstanding. The ability of a student to withdraw frustration is the student’s tolerance for frustration [Algozzine B., Algozzine A., O’Donoghue K., 2006], [Bernard M., 1993].

Such scientists as W. Dryden, W. Froggat define low frustration tolerance (LFT) as the state when an individual gets very frustrated, very easily and has an unwillingness or inability to tolerate the necessary short-term discomfort that is sometimes required for long-term gain [Dryden W,2001]. The term was first used by Albert Ellis in the 1960s. He described those exhibiting LFT as having 'can't stand it' syndrome because they would often complain that they are unable to stand X, Y or Z situations. LFT beliefs tend to be inflexible, very rigid, unhelpful, illogical and inconsistent with reality [Ellis A, 2002]. In addition to this, low frustration-tolerance creates distress in other ways:

· Negativity and complaining. Low frustration-tolerance may cause you to become distressed over small hindrances and setbacks, overconcerned with unfairness, and prone to make comparisons between your own and others’ circumstances. Negativity tends to alienate others, with the loss of their support.

· Anger. LFT leads to hostile and anger when someone does something you dislike, or fails to give you what you want.

W. Knaus confirms that we exhibit a low frustration tolerance when we avoid our problems instead of facing them. So, when we try to avoid necessary work, we exhibit a low frustration tolerance which takes on many disguises. It occurs when we refuse to discipline ourselves so that we can reach our important goal. It occurs when we think we can not tolerate inconveniences and use escape routes to avoid hassle. It shows up when we exhibit poor listening skills, finish sentences for other people and keep ourselves distracted. It surfaces when we constantly wait things to come quickly and easily. Consequently, even though an understandable human response, low frustration tolerance leads to poor results [W. Knaus].

Low frustration tolerance may be the result of a variety causes. Some students have not experienced situations at home in which they have to wait, because a lot of their desires and wishes have been met successfully and effortlessly. When faced with frustrating circumstances, these students may not have had an opportunity to develop high level of tolerance. They would like benefit from interventions that begin with waiting only short amounts of time before their needs are met, and then gradually increasing the time until the students can wait without experiencing frustration. Other students with limited cognitive, physical or social abilities may respond to obstacles with a low frustration tolerance due to lack of skill levels in specific areas compared with others. These students would likely benefit from interventions that work on increasing their skill levels and matching tasks to their skill levels.

Finally, other students can experience frustration because their primary needs have not been met and the tasks requested of them do not address their primary needs; the students’ levels of tolerance for the particular tasks may be decreased because it is not the matter of primary concern at the time of its occurrence [.Algozzine B., Algozzine A., O’Donoghue K., 2006].

In our opinion, the level of frustration tolerance also depends on the person’s age. As the result of our assumption we can refer to the scientist Brophy who thinks that students, especially in the early grades, show failure syndrome tendencies as part of larger patterns of emotional immaturity (for example low frustration tolerance or avoidance, inhibition or adult dependency as reactions to stress). They may focus more on dependency-related desires for attention from the teacher than on trying to learn what an academic activity is designed to teach. This pattern may be a defence mechanism exhibited by some students who feel unable to compete with successful peers, who lack confidence in their own abilities. Most failure syndromes have developed through social learning mechanisms centred around experiences with failure. It is not surprising that some students who have experienced a continuing history of failure begin to believe that they lack the ability succeed. Eventually such students abandon serious attempts to master tasks and begin to concentrate instead on preserving their self-esteem in their own eyes and their reputation in the eyes of others. [Brophy Jere, 2003]

In the opinion of Scott W. McQuiggan, highly frustrated students have difficulty with discovery learning situations in which they receive little guidance. Because it is believed that many students who have a high frustration tolerance may make better learners.

Analyzing research approaches to the mentioned term we must admit that it is closely connected to the Type A personality syndrome group. According to the Friedman’ report the Type A personality operates “under the gun”. He or she feels driven by a strong sense of urgency to accomplish objectives and often chases about trying to get things done. Strained by impatience, this individual risks a coronary. Thus the pressured and busy manner in which he approaches life’s challenges can ultimately prove not only self-defeating but fatal. Research on modifying the Type A coronary-prone behaviour pattern conducted by J. Cohen, E. Fisher suggests than anger and impatience are useful treatments targets and that change in them may not require more generalized personality modification. Anger grows from low frustration tolerance and gains propulsion from the concept such as demandingness that fuel impulses to punish others who stand in one’s way. Type A personality can change by developing a philosophy based on the principles of tolerance and self-correction rather than intolerance and self-condemnation [W.Knaus]. At the same time, we should say that low frustration tolerance can be shown from the positive side. For example, some Type A individuals operate efficiently in their work because of actions directed to avoid frustration. Low frustration tolerance could act as a helpful signal that impels us into productive actions. For example, an individual might get charged up to act then settle into an organized and productive pattern. But in any case, we should say that generally, however, low frustration tolerance results in decreased efficiency, especially if it leads to disturbed thinking and impulsive and overly-restrictive actions. Low tolerance creates distress by causing you to overreact to discomfort. It may lead to secondary problems ('having a problem about having a problem’) where you react to your own symptoms and end up with additional symptoms. You might for example, get angry and then feel guilty, or become depressed because you feel anxious. Low tolerance also gets in the way of using stress management strategies like changing your diet, exercising, managing your time or acting assertively. In the opinion of Wayne Froggat, 'High tolerance’, on the other hand, means accepting the reality of frustration and discomfort, and keeping their badness in perspective.To accept frustration and discomfort is to acknowledge that, while you may dislike them, they are realities. They exist, and there is no Law of the Universe says they 'should’ not exist (though you may prefer they not). You expect to experience appropriate negative emotions like concern, remorse, regret, sadness, annoyance, and disappointment. But you avoid exaggerating these emotions (by telling yourself you can’t stand them) into anxiety, guilt, shame, depression, hostile anger, hurt, or self-pity.

To keep frustration and discomfort in perspective is to regard them as unpleasant rather than 'awful’. You dislike rejection, pain, bad health, financial insecurity and other unwanted circumstances - but you believe that you can cope with the discomfort when they happen to you. High tolerance will help students in many ways. They will be:

· less likely to create secondary problems by overreacting to unwanted events and circumstances.

· more willing to experience present discomfort to achieve long-term goals and enjoyment.

· prepared to take reasonable risks.

· more able to assert yourself appropriately with other people.

· less likely to put off difficult tasks and issues, including personal change.

So, our model of student self-efficacy (adequate self-esteem, cognitive strategies and constructive behavioural patterns) should provide support that helps students cope with emotions such as anxiety and frustration and increase their high frustration tolerance for such learning situations. We think that self-efficacy, which is one’s beliefs in one’s abilities to perform, influences student persistence. Thus, the mentioned model should support the detection and monitoring of students low frustration tolerance in order to help them to cope with it. In conclusion, we can say that students with the syndrome of low frustration tolerance need assistance in regaining their level of confidence in their social and academic activities and in developing strategies for coping with failure and overcoming difficult situations. In order to do this the students should under guidance of qualified specialists practice the methods of cognition retraining which will lead to high frustration tolerance. Three of more prominent approaches to this method include: attribution retraining, efficacy training and strategy retraining. Let’s describe each of them. So, attribution retraining brings about changes in the students’ tendencies to attribute their failures to the lack of abilities rather than to the remediable causes such as insufficient effort or use of inappropriate strategy. At the same time, efficacy training refers to the programs exposing students to a planned set of activities within an achievement context and providing them with modelling, instruction and a feedback. According to the last approach, strategy retraining provides modelling and instruction, the functions of which are to teach problem-solving strategies and related self-talk that students need to handle tasks successfully. From the other side, we should take into the account the atmosphere in which the students with low frustration tolerance study, work and live. When students are engaging in low-tolerance behaviour designed to avoid discomfort or frustration. Teachers and supervisors would better keep a log of such behaviour for several weeks or longer and watch for things like:

• avoiding uncomfortable situations;
• overusing drugs or alcohol;
• compulsive gambling, shopping, exercising, or bingeing on food;
• losing your temper; putting off difficult tasks [Froggat W, 2006].

The teachers of universities can also contribute in problem-solving situations that could occur with failure syndrome students.

For example the teachers can make it cleat for the students that they should perform their work persistently but they can get an assistance if these students need it. Effective teachers also

· reassure these students that they would not be given the work they could not do

· monitor their progress

· provide any needed assistance to the students

· reinforce students by praising their successes

· call attention to their progress

· provide them with opportunities to display their accomplishment publicly

In addition, we should admit that the key to success with low frustration students is to increase their level of frustration tolerance by using the technique of exposure. W. Froggat states that effective teacher helps students make a list of things they typically avoid - situations, events, thoughts, risks and so on. With teachers guidance students actively confront discomfort by going into uncomfortable situations and staying with the discomfort until it diminishes of its own accord.

Literature:

Algozzine B., Algozzine A., O’Donoghue K. Tertiary Intervention. University of North Carolina at Charlotte: Behaviour and reading improvement centre, 2006. – p 116.

Bernand M., Cronan F. The child and adolescent scale of irrationality: validation data and mental health correlates. Journal of cognitive psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, Volume 13, November 2, 1993. – p 121-132.

Brophy Jere. Teaching problem student. New York: Guilford Press, 2003. – p 466.

Dryden W. Reason to change: a rational emotive and behaviour therapy (REBT) workbook. The USA: Taylor&Francis Inc., 2001. p 280.

Ellis A. Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy Integrative approach. New York: Springer, 2002. – p 294.

Froggat W. Taking control. HarperCollins, Auckland, 2006. – p 384.

Knaus W. How to conquer your frustration: [electronic sources]: http: // www.rebtnetwork.org