Frustration: Isaac’s story

Anger and frustration, and a sense of not getting the appropriate care in what seems to be a timely way is often at the centre of challenging or aggressive outbursts. Consider this scenario:

Isaac is a sprinter and is being treated for a severe hamstring tear. Earlier in the year he had a string of personal bests, and was hoping to secure a place in the national squad for the forthcoming season. Isaac has been attending a rehab unit for two weeks, during which time he’s had intensive intervention from a multi-professional team. Isaac needs to be race-ready in order to attend the relevant selection events, but he has not made the improvements that the coach was hoping for and he’s frustrated. Isaac mentioned to his coach that the exercise physiologist made an implicit suggestion that he may have been overtraining. The coach is very angry about this.  He believes himself to be an experienced coach with a good track record.

The coach is sitting in on a rehab session when there is a discussion between the sport rehabilitator and Isaac regarding his likely recovery time. If this estimate is correct, Isaac will certainly not make the selection events.

Now start the video to watch the scenario. As you do so, use the tool provided to note the factors that could have led to the aggressive or challenging behaviour seen. Write your answers as single words in the boxes provided and then press the "Save" button.

Video transcript

Activity