What is Anger Management?

Anger management is a common term used to discuss the control and prevention of harmful behaviors brought about by the someone expressing angry feelings. However, in order to effectively manage one’s anger, there should be a clear understanding of what anger is. Anger is reflexive, and thus, usually a result of pain. This can occasionally be physical pain, but pain does not always come in the form of tears and heartache. It can also come in the form of disrespect. Someone can easily inflict pain on you by acting in a way that communicates that your person is not worthy of acknowledgement. Feeling belittled, frustrated, stressed, or somehow devalued, can all lead to an emotional sense of discomfort — or pain.

Anger management begins with pain management. Think about it the next time someone cuts you off. If it bothers you, boil it down to its common denominator. In its most basic form, the action is either disrespectful or rude. Most people can write this off and move on. Some people will experience intense feelings of road rage and escalate.

Anger Counseling is Available

Anger is a normal emotion that everyone feels. However, we all have a responsibility to control how we express our anger. The inability to control impulsive aggression is known as Intermittent Explosive Disorder. These behaviors make up the key actions that people associate with anger issues. There are telltale signs you should seek anger management, especially if you:

Notice the magnitude of your anger is dramatically disproportionate to the situation.
Express anger is impulsively, lacking a clear outcome or resolution.
Regularly use physical aggression towards persons, places, or things.
Regularly become verbally aggressive, and frequent engage in arguments, temper tantrums, outbursts, and tirades.
Struggle with a negative and/or aggressive nature more than twice a week, and continues for several weeks.

When expressed correctly, anger can be a healthy expression of our self-worth and our desire to confront wrongdoing. However, being chronically quick tempered is a sign of a bigger issue. If you or someone you love need help managing their angry impulses, HCH Therapy and Counseling can help.

The Various Paths To Anger Issues

Traumatic Causes

People dealing with various form of trauma may also display unusually extreme anger responses with little or no provocation. Most notably, people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been known to have anger management issues. However, people who have suffered from sexual abuse or physical abuse have also been known to display disproportionate expressions of anger.

Psychosocial Causes

Life events such as humiliation, stress, abuse, failure, frustration, a sense of loss, bullying, or shame are all causes for extreme expressions of anger for some people. Under these or similar circumstances, the person undergoing the emotional distress is unable to manage the negative thought patterns enticed by the situation, and this can lead to outburst.

Cultural Causes

Anger is natural to all people across the world, but cultural differences can play a major in how we express our anger. This is especially significant when comes to anger management; this is because a person is more likely to lash out at the groups and individuals in which the threat of social reprecussion is less present. The two major cultural paradigms to note are the collectivist cultural group and individualist cultural group.

Collectivist cultures value group cohesion, thus it is implicitly safer to express anger to people who are outside of their cultural group than within. Otherwise, they risk alienating themselves from their community. Individualist cultures on the other hand are quite the opposite; due to the fluidity of social groups and public standing, people in these environments are more likely to express their anger within their personal and intimate relationships. The common denominator between cultural variants is the inclination to attack people who have less relevance to their social identity.

Gender Causes

The role of anger between the sexes is viewed by complete different contexts. This is because gender differences presume social connotations that directly relate the expression of anger to the gender identity. This causes the manifestation of anger to be viewed quite differently between men and women.

In men, anger is usually identified with masculinity and strength. Unfortunately, this anger disproportionately links men to destructive behaviors such as impulsivity, domestic violence, and other violent crimes. Women on the other hand are linked with more passive displays of anger, due to the negative associations attributed to aggressive female behavior. This association and stigma can play a major role in why women are more likely to struggle with feelings of resentment and self directed anger.

Medical Causes

People suffering from alcoholism, substance abuse or drug addiction have can sometimes form a self-sustaining relationship with anger. People who struggle with a substance abuse problem are more prone to uncontrolled anger, and people suffering from chronic anger are more prone to substance abuse. Other psychological causes include mental disabilities, bipolar disorder, depression, oppositional defiant behavior, anxiety, and narcissistic personality disorder. Chronic physical disturbances that have been linked to anger issues are persistent headaches, biochemical changes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and digestive problems.

Do You Need Anger Management Support?

Most people don’t have a problem admitting that they’re angry. The problem is acknowledging the hurt behind the anger. If someone feels that their dignity has been compromised, anger can be a healthy response to their sense of humanity. However, it is important to separate valid circumstances and expressions of that sentiment, from the destructive.

At HCH Therapy and Counseling, our approach to anger management involves investigating our client’s base sense of personhood, identifying their triggers, and educating them about healthy expressions of their emotions as well as when to diffuse challenging situations. Once a person understands what’s causing their anger, and what can trigger it, they utilize methods that can help them avoid falling victim to their own rage.

Get in Touch Now!

You don’t have the deal with your anger management concerns on your own. My aim is to make all the mental health services I provide both accessible and affordable. I accept many insurances, and have variable payment options based on financial need. Take advantage of our free consultation and get an insight options that might work best for you.

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