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The Straw that Breaks the Camel’s Back: The Effects of Major Failure on the Frustration Levels of Undergraduates with High and Low Perseverance
Received date: 2022-05-05
Online published: 2023-07-14
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The current study aimed to investigate the effects of major failure on the frustration levels of undergraduates with high and low perseverance. In study 1, undergraduates with high and low perseverance were asked to complete tasks differing in importance. The results showed that undergraduates had more negative emotions and more confidence about their success when they experienced failure in the most important task. Undergraduates with low perseverance expressed less intention to persist, while undergraduates with high perseverance displayed more persistence when they experienced failure in the most important task. In study 2, undergraduates with high and low perseverance were asked to complete a task and experience consecutive failures. For undergraduates with high perseverance, the results showed that their confidence in success decreased significantly after experiencing three or four consecutive failures. Also, their intention to persist decreased significantly after experiencing three consecutive failures. For undergraduates with low perseverance, the results showed that their emotional experience and intention to persist decreased significantly after experiencing three or five consecutive failures. Also, their confidence in success decreased significantly when they experienced two or four consecutive failures. These results indicate that task importance affects the frustration levels of undergraduates with high and low perseverance. The frustration levels of undergraduates with high and low perseverance who experienced consecutive failures showed different trends.
Key words： failure experience; task importance; frustration psychology; perseverance
Xu DU , Mengmeng FENG , Xuejun BAI . The Straw that Breaks the Camel’s Back: The Effects of Major Failure on the Frustration Levels of Undergraduates with High and Low Perseverance[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2023 , 21(3) : 374 -380 . DOI: 10.12139/j.1672-0628.2023.03.012
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