Anger Management
Many individuals struggle with issues stemming from the mismanagement of
anger. Such is clearly the case with people who repeatedly have problems
with “bad tempers” leading to abusive behaviors at work, on
the road, or at home. However, the mismanagement of anger is not only evident
through acts of verbal or physical aggression. When anger is repressed or
avoided for fear of its destructive potential or for fear of conflict, the
consequences can also be quite damaging. Therefore, effective anger management
is not about learning how to “not be angry”, but focuses instead
on separating the emotion of anger (a normal response to real or perceived
threats to our well-being) from behaviors which are destructive to self
or others (e.g. verbal or physical aggression, passive-aggression, or passivity
leading to non-action). Key “anger management skills” include:
Anger Terminology- The ability to recognize when the emotion of anger is present
- The ability to determine whether or not there is a real threat to one’s well-being that triggered the emotion of anger
- The ability to calm down if the sense of threat was based on a misperception or if assertive action is not possible in that exact moment
- The ability to channel the energy provided by the emotion of anger into assertiveness, instead of aggression, passive aggression, or passivity