In psychology, frustration is a common emotional response to opposition, related to anger, annoyance and disappointment. Frustration arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of an individual's will or goal and is likely to increase when a will or goal is denied or blocked. There are two types of frustration: internal and external. Internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals, desires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. Conflict, such as when one has competing goals that interfere with one another, can also be an internal source of frustration or annoyance and can create cognitive dissonance. External causes of frustration involve conditions outside an individual's control, such as a physical roadblock, a difficult task, or the perception of wasting time. There are multiple ways individuals cope with frustration such as passive–aggressive behavior, anger, or violence, although frustration may also propel positive processes via enhanced effort and strive. This broad range of potential outcomes makes it difficult to identify the original cause(s) of frustration, as the responses may be indirect. However, a more direct and common response is a propensity towards aggression.

मनोविज्ञान के सन्दर्भ में हताशा या कुण्ठा (फ्रस्टेशन) एक प्रमुख भावनात्मक प्रतिक्रिया है जो व्यक्ति की इच्छाओं के अपूर्ण होने के प्रत्यक्षीकृत प्रतिरोध के कारण पैदा होता है। यह व्यक्ति की आशा के प्रतिकूल परिस्थिती मे उत्पन्न होता है। यह विषाद का ही एक अन्य रूप है हताश का साधारण अर्थ है-निराश होना ,थक जाना आदि। [शिवराज सुमन द्वारा]