Anger Problem

Introduction

 Anger is an unpleasant emotional state characterized by high physiological arousal.

The pulse quickens, the respirations increase, the pupils of the eyes constrict, blood

rushes to the striated muscles of the body (the muscles that move the body’s bones),

and the adrenal glands pump out hormones.

 Anger becomes a problem when you have trouble controlling it, causing you to say or

do things you regret. Uncontrolled anger is bad for your physical and mental health. It

can also quickly escalate to verbal or physical violence, harming you and those

around you.

 From the primitive biological point of view, the angry person is demonstrating a well-

known response pattern called the fight-or-flight reaction.

 A distinction can be made between manifest anger and latent anger.

 Manifest anger is evident, and the individual is aware of it. Chronic anger may have

roots in early childhood experiences.

 Latent anger is repressed to an unconscious level, and the individual is not aware of it.

Latent anger plays a role in chronic depression.

 Manifest anger can be chronic. It is a normal, appropriate emotion. It is usually a

natural reaction to a frustration and tends to spontaneously evaporate in a short time.

On the other hand, chronic anger represents a real problem in personal adjustment.
 Types of anger

These types of anger which help shape how we react in a situation that makes us angry.

Passive Aggression: Many don’t like to admit that they are angry, because they don’t like

confrontation – this is called passive aggression. This comes out in things like becoming

silent when you are angry, sulking, procrastinating (putting stuff off you need to do), and

pretending “everything is fine”. Passive aggression comes from a need to be in control.

Passive aggression effect/damage self-image.

Open Aggression: On the other hand, many people have a tendency to lash out in anger and

rage, becoming physically or verbally aggressive and can often times hurt themselves or

others. This is called Open Aggression. This comes out in fighting, bullying, blackmailing,

accusing, shouting, bickering, sarcasm and criticism. Open aggression comes from a need to

be in control.

Assertive Anger: The healthy way to deal with anger is by being controlled and confident,

talking and listening, and open to help in dealing with the situation. This Assertive anger can

help relationships to grow. It means thinking before you speak, being confident in how you

say it, yet open and flexible to the ‘other side’. It means being patient; not raising your voice;

communicating how you are feeling emotionally, and really trying to understand what others

are feeling. When you deal with anger assertively, you demonstrate that you are mature and

care about your relationships and yourself. Assertive people don't suppress anger. They just

develop coping mechanisms, so they have an outlet that doesn't harm anyone. It allows them

to act calmly in triggering situations.

Physical symptoms: Anger affects different parts of your body, including your heart, brain,

and muscles. A 2011 study found that anger also causes an increase in testosterone levels and

decrease in cortisol levels. The physical signs and symptoms of anger include:

 increased blood pressure

Emotional: We experience a primary emotion like fear, loss, or sadness first. Because these

emotions create feelings of vulnerability, they make us uncomfortable. To deal with these

feelings is by subconsciously shifting into anger. There are a number of emotions that go

hand in hand with anger. You may notice the following emotional symptoms before, during,

or after an episode of anger: irritability, frustration, anxiety, stress, guilt

Etiological Factors

 Many things can trigger anger, including stress, family problems, work or relationship

issues, violence or abuse and financial issues etc. For some people, anger is caused by

an underlying disorder, such as alcoholism and depression.

 Anger itself isn’t considered a disorder, but anger is a known symptom of several

mental health conditions. The following are some of the possible causes of anger

issues.

 If a child grows up in a family that allows itself frequent irrational outbursts of anger,

then observational learning can play a role in a tendency toward chronic anger

 The frustration-aggression hypothesis states that aggression is a natural response to

frustration.
 Assessment

The Anger Disorders Scale: The Anger Disorders Scale (ADS; DiGiuseppe & Tafrate,

2004) is a clinically relevant measure of anger for those aged 18 to 76, and is essential for

treatment plan development. It assesses anger as an independent problem, not as a secondary

problem to something else. The scale examines physical aggression, cognitions from anger,

and internal and expression versions of anger.

The Reaction Inventory: The Reaction Inventory was initially devised by Evans and

Stangeland (1971). Cho, Kim, Kim, Wang, and Chee (2009) developed a Korean adaptation.

The anger variable tested here is the individual’s propensity to being angrily aroused. It was

constructed to measure the number and type of anger-arousing incidents (Leenaars & Lester,

2011).

Multidimensional Anger Inventory: The Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI; Siegel,

1985, 1986) incorporates a range of provocative anger-eliciting situations. It measures the

frequency, duration, and mode of anger (anger in and anger out); guilt; hostile outlook;

brooding; and anger-eliciting situations.

The Clinical Anger Scale: The Clinical Anger Scale (Snell, Gum, Shuck, Mosley, & Hite,

1995) is a 21-item objective self-report measure. It measures annoying others, social, work,

appetite, sleep, health, thinking, anger in the future, anger about failure, anger about things,

angry-hostile feelings, angry about self, angry misery, wanting to hurt others, shouting at

people, sexual and decision interference, alienating others, fatigue, anger in the present, and

irritated now.
 Professional Help

 Taking a behavioral approach, a therapist may help you explore practical ways to

avoid anger-eliciting situations and certain persons who irritate you.

 Taking an interpersonal approach, a therapist will help you find ways to help you

become more assertive and less aggressive.

 Taking a cognitive approach, the therapist will help you recognize and identify these

distortions. A common cognitive distortion is called personal labeling.

If you find that you cannot cope adequately with chronic anger, there are a number of ways in

which the professions of psychiatry and clinical psychology can help you.

A therapist can help you explore the unconscious motives behind your anger.

Taking a behavioral approach, a therapist may help you explore practical ways to avoid

anger-eliciting situations and certain persons who irritate you. Also, the therapist will help

you identify the psychological payoffs associated with chronic anger. You will learn that

these have only short-term benefit, and together you will look for more effective ways to

obtain such gratifications as emotional release or the cooperation of others.

Taking an interpersonal approach, a therapist will help you find ways to improve your

relationships with others. This is usually done by focusing on your communication skills and

by helping you become more assertive. In helping chronically angry people, the distinction

between assertive behavior and aggressive behavior becomes particularly important. The

assertive response to another person allows you to stand up for your rights without damage to

the relationship. The therapist may make use of a behavioral approach known as assertiveness

training.

Taking a cognitive approach, the therapist assumes that you are a thinking, conscious human

being and that your ideas about life and other people have a lot to do with your anger. If you
suffer from chronic anger, these ideas are almost always distortions. The therapist will help

you recognize and identify these distortions. A common cognitive distortion is called

personal labeling. The chronically angry person often mentally refers to other people with

negative names such as jerk, loser, or fool. This dehumanizes the other individual,

oversimplifies his or her personality, and allows for an easy rationalization of the anger.

Assessment

The Anger Disorders Scale

The Anger Disorders Scale (ADS; DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2004) is a clinically relevant

measure of anger for those aged 18 to 76, and is essential for treatment plan development. It

assesses anger as an independent problem, not as a secondary problem to something else. The

scale examines physical aggression, cognitions from anger, and internal and expression

versions of anger.

The Reaction Inventory: The Reaction Inventory was initially devised by Evans and

Stangeland (1971). Cho, Kim, Kim, Wang, and Chee (2009) developed a Korean adaptation.

The anger variable tested here is the individual’s propensity to being angrily aroused. It was

constructed to measure the number and type of anger-arousing incidents (Leenaars & Lester,

2011).

Multidimensional Anger Inventory: The Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI; Siegel,

1985, 1986) incorporates a range of provocative anger-eliciting situations. It measures the

frequency, duration, and mode of anger (anger in and anger out); guilt; hostile outlook;

brooding; and anger-eliciting situations.

The Clinical Anger Scale: The Clinical Anger Scale (Snell, Gum, Shuck, Mosley, & Hite,

1995) is a 21-item objective self-report measure. It measures annoying others, social, work,

appetite, sleep, health, thinking, anger in the future, anger about failure, anger about things,
angry-hostile feelings, angry about self, angry misery, wanting to hurt others, shouting at

people, sexual and decision interference, alienating others, fatigue, anger in the present, and

irritated now.

Management

If you believe your anger is out of control or if it’s negatively affecting your life or

relationships, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. A mental health

professional can help determine if you have an underlying mental health condition that’s

causing your anger issues and requires treatment. Anger management can also include one or

more of the following:

 Relaxation techniques

 Mindfulness

 Stay away form the situation

 Cost benefit analysis

 Assertive training