A Teacher Action Research Magazine & Network

Frustration-Aggression-Displacement (F-A-D) is a theory from several decades ago that serves the education field well. This theory helps to explain what happens to individuals emotionally when they do not get what they want. When someone does not get what she/he wants or thinks she/he deserves, frustration results, sometimes followed by aggression and this aggression is displaced on the most visible and vulnerable target available. If, for example, a student throws a fit in your classroom because you have denied him/her something and that student begins shouting at you or takes it out in some way on another student, that is a display of Frustration-Aggression-Displacement. A student may also enter your classroom, already frustrated over something with aggression mounting and the displacement of that aggression is exhibited against you or in your presence on someone else.
If you are having trouble imaging what a student is going through when F-A-D is exhibited, recall the last time things were not going so well for you while working at the computer. As the frustration mounted, did you pick up and slam down the mouse, shout at the computer, throw something? That was F-A-D and you took your aggression out on an inanimate object.

This theory helps to explain why a student behaves a certain way. Your goal and obligation as a teacher is to keep frustration levels at a minimum in your classroom and be able to handle them when brought into your classroom. Keeping frustration levels low in your classroom is something you have complete control over. What can you do to make certain that your environment and teaching strategies result in a low anxiety learning experience? Having students arrive in your classroom already frustrated with growing aggression is something you have no control over. In this case you need a proactive plan. What are the actions you can take to diffuse an increasingly frustrated, angry student before she/he displaces these emotions on other students or on you? Think about a troublesome student in your classroom. Perhaps Frustration-Aggression-Displacement is one hypothesis you could consider.