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Anger Management

Anger is a normal human emotion that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury. It is accompanied by physiological changes like increased heart rate and blood pressure. Anger can be caused by external events like traffic or internal events like worrying. While expressing anger aggressively is natural, laws and social norms limit how far anger can be expressed. People deal with anger through expressing it assertively, suppressing it, or calming down internally. Anger management aims to reduce emotional and physiological feelings of anger in order to control reactions. Some people are more prone to anger than others and get angry more easily and intensely.

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azizah mohdradzi
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141 views

Anger Management

Anger is a normal human emotion that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury. It is accompanied by physiological changes like increased heart rate and blood pressure. Anger can be caused by external events like traffic or internal events like worrying. While expressing anger aggressively is natural, laws and social norms limit how far anger can be expressed. People deal with anger through expressing it assertively, suppressing it, or calming down internally. Anger management aims to reduce emotional and physiological feelings of anger in order to control reactions. Some people are more prone to anger than others and get angry more easily and intensely.

Uploaded by

azizah mohdradzi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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We all 

know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether as a fleeting
annoyance or as full-fledged rage. Anger is a completely normal, usually
healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns
destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal
relationships, and in the overall quality of your life.
Anger can make you feel as though you’re at the mercy of an unpredictable
and powerful emotion.

What is anger?
The nature of anger
Anger is “an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to
intense fury and rage,” according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a
psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it
is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get
angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your
energy hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.
Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be
angry at a specific person (such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a
traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or
brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging
events can also trigger angry feelings.
Expressing anger
The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively.
Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often
aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend
ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is
necessary to our survival.
On the other hand, we can’t physically lash out at every person or object
that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common sense place
limits on how far our anger can take us.
People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal
with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing,
suppressing, and calming. Expressing your angry feelings in an assertive—
not aggressive—manner is the healthiest way to express anger. To do this,
you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are, and how to get
them met, without hurting others. Being assertive doesn’t mean being
pushy or demanding; it means being respectful of yourself and others.
Anger can be suppressed, and then converted or redirected. This happens
when you hold in your anger, stop thinking about it, and focus on
something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and
convert it into more constructive behavior. The danger in this type of
response is that if it isn’t allowed outward expression, your anger can turn
inward—on yourself. Anger turned inward may cause hypertension, high
blood pressure, or depression.
Unexpressed anger can create other problems. It can lead to pathological
expressions of anger, such as passive-aggressive behavior (getting back at
people indirectly, without telling them why, rather than confronting them
head-on) or a personality that seems perpetually cynical and hostile.
People who are constantly putting others down, criticizing everything, and
making cynical comments haven’t learned how to constructively express
their anger. Not surprisingly, they aren’t likely to have many successful
relationships.
Finally, you can calm down inside. This means not just controlling your
outward behavior, but also controlling your internal responses, taking steps
to lower your heart rate, calm yourself down, and let the feelings subside.
As Dr. Spielberger notes, “when none of these three techniques work,
that’s when someone—or something—is going to get hurt.”

Anger management
The goal of anger management is to reduce both your emotional feelings
and the physiological arousal that anger causes. You can’t get rid of, or
avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them,
but you can learn to control your reactions.
Are you too angry?
There are psychological tests that measure the intensity of angry feelings,
how prone to anger you are, and how well you handle it. But chances are
good that if you do have a problem with anger, you already know it. If you
find yourself acting in ways that seem out of control and frightening, you
might need help finding better ways to deal with this emotion.
Why are some people more angry than others?
According to Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in
anger management, some people really are more “hotheaded” than others
are; they get angry more easily and more intensely than the average
person does. There are also those who don’t show their anger in loud
spectacular ways but are chronically irritable and grumpy. Easily angered
people don’t always curse and throw things; sometimes they withdraw
socially, sulk, or get physically ill.

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