Emotional tension resulting from the blocking of a desire or need is called:

In psychology, when a person's goal-directed action toward satisfying a desire, need, or motive is obstructed, blocked, or delayed by an external or internal barrier, the resulting emotional state — a feeling of being thwarted — is called frustration. It is distinct from related affective states such as conflict (competing motives), anxiety (diffuse apprehension), and tension (general strain).

The question describes exactly this situation — "emotional tension resulting from the blocking of a desire or need." This causal structure, a need or desire being blocked and producing tension, is the standard definition of frustration, which is why Frustration is the correct answer.

• Conflict arises when two or more incompatible motives or goals compete for satisfaction at the same time; the stem describes only one need being obstructed, not a competition between motives.

• Anxiety is a diffuse, often anticipatory sense of unease that need not be tied to any specific, identifiable blockage; the stem specifies a concrete blocked desire, which anxiety alone does not require.

• Tension is a general physiological or emotional strain that can accompany frustration, conflict, or anxiety alike; it is too broad a term to specifically name the blocked-desire phenomenon the stem describes.