The Meaning of
Anger
As long as human emotions have been studied, anger has been a prominent
subject. Musings and accounts dating back to Aristotle indicate the vast
literature available on this subject. Given this fact, a lot has been said
about anger as an emotion, a feeling, a “Flight-Fight” response,
etc. Anger has been defined as an emotion that involves responses to a
perceived provocation. It has both internal (personality issues, hostility,
etc.) and external factors (peer influence, environmental factors, etc.) at
play.
There are four major elements of anger:
Thoughts: Anger is considered a product of thinking processes
that take place before the actual emotion develops.
Feelings: Pain and fear are the best examples of feeling
states that precede anger.
Behaviour: The overt expression of anger
Physiological Arousal: The biological changes triggered by
anger include increased heart rate, flushed face, hormonal changes, etc.
Expression of Anger
The expression of anger involves the following ways:
-
Destructive, and unfruitful behaviors such as yelling, throwing objects,
etc.
-
Suppression of anger leads to self-destructive behaviors such as
self-criticism, drinking, etc.
-
Positive expressions to control anger by calming oneself, and using
constructive measures to deal with events.
Anger also has essential instinctive elements that are an important role in
“fight or flight” like reactions. Thus, anger can be useful if:
- It serves to protect oneself or others from potential danger
- It is constructively oriented, and controlled.
However,
anger becomes problematic if one:
- Exhibits tendencies to harm, disparage, and insult other people
- Uses violent measures unnecessarily
- Expresses anger frequently and for undue periods
-
Develops issues such as
anxiety, depression , poor social relationships, etc.
How to manage your anger?
As an emotion, anger is manageable. Various theorists and experts have focused
on this area highlighting various strategies for
effective control and management of anger. There are many other strategies
other than the ones discussed here. However, the common link between them is
their intended purpose of providing constructive expressions and an outlet
for anger. Supervision from mental health professionals is highly
recommended when applying these strategies. They can be applied on a general
basis as well.
Strategies focusing on thoughts:
Modifying expectations: Modification of expectations that one
holds from a situation or significant others is often helpful. It helps in
building self-reliance and healthier relationships.
Imagery: Trying to imagine the consequences of one’s
action can provide a time gap to analyze responses better, especially when it
focuses on making constructive choices.
Thought stopping: Using cues and signs to switch to an
alternate activity and halting an angry thought process is also beneficial.
Channelize thoughts: Constructive channelization of thoughts
helps to dissipate negative emotions.
Strategies focusing on feeling:
Maintain a journal: Avoid bottling up painful feelings.
Instead, express them in a daily/weekly journal. This allows a healthy outlet
Confide in significant others: Consider expressing feelings
about events to close friends or confidantes. Such effective communication can
help in feeling relaxed and positive.
Strategies focusing on behavior:
Creative activities: Indulging in creative pursuits like
painting, music, photography, etc is a constructive attempt to break the cycle
of anger.
Improving time management skills: Often the incompletion of a
task serves as a trigger for anger. Thus, working on improving such skills can
help avoid unpleasant outcomes.
Practicing healthy lifestyle habits: Engaging in exercise,
eating healthy, maintaining adequate sleep hours, etc provide impetus to anger
management.
Strategies focusing on physiological responses:
Meditation: Known for its healing effects, meditative
practices such as mantra chanting, muscle relaxation, etc., bolster
constructive and positive emotions.
Counting: Counting backward or forward from 1-100 or 50-1,
can serve as a distraction as well as a time bracket to calm oneself steadily.
Anger management is a fluid routine that can be adapted to various settings,
and individual needs. It is important to understand the underlying dynamics of
negative expressions of anger and therefore therapy is recommended.
Professional guidance and
Online Counselling for anger management have more potential for success.
Get help for
anxiety,
depression, and other mental health issues
Reference
1.Videbeck, S. (2006). Psychiatric mental health nursing. Philadelphia, PA:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
2.Novaco, R.W. (2000). Anger. In A.E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology. Wahington, D.C:American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press.
3. Bhave S., & Saini, S. (2009). Anger management. New Delhi, ND; Sage Publications
4.Faupel, A., Herrick, E., & Sharp, P. (2011). Anger management-A practical guide. Abington;OT;Routledge.
5.Spielberger, C. D. (1999). State-trait anger expression inventory. Research Edition: Professional Manual. Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources.
6.Schiraldi, G., & Kerr, M. (2002). Anger management sourcebook. New York, NY:McGraw Hill.