Uticopa Blog

We all think we understand what anger is. However, today's society produces so many frightening situations triggering our anger - whether it be terrorism on a global scale, or the burgeoning effects of too-many people trying to live in too-small a space -  that it's worth ‘unpacking' exactly what anger is so that we can begin to understand and eventually control it.

What exactly is anger?

Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion that sometimes gets out of control. We should remember that it's the body's natural ‘fight or flight response' to the perceived threat of pain. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively and physiologically when a person makes the conscious choice to take action to immediately stop the threatening behavior of another outside force. Anger produces powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviour so that we are able to fight and defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary for our survival.

Anger is an emotional state that can vary in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. All emotions produce physiological and biological changes in the body; anger is no different.  When we get angry, our heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of our energy hormones: adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Anger can lead to many things physically and mentally.

Types of anger

Three types of anger are recognized by psychologists: The first - hasty and sudden anger - is connected to the impulse for self-preservation. It is shared between humans and animals and occurs when tormented or trapped. The second type of anger - settled and deliberate anger - is a reaction to perceived deliberate harm or unfair treatment by others. The third type of anger - irritability, sullenness and churlishness - is related more to character traits than to instincts or cognitions.

What causes it?

Anger can be caused by both external and internal events.

The angry person usually finds the cause of his anger in an intentional, personal and controllable aspect of another person's behavior. This however is based on the intuition of the angry person who experiences a loss in self-monitoring capacity as a result of his or her emotion.

Anger can be caused by many things, some of which may be remote events, but people rarely find more than one cause for their anger. However, there may well be underlying disturbances that may not have involved anger at the outset but which operate as a lingering backdrop for provocations of anger.

We often find ourselves getting angry at a specific person (such as an irritating co-worker or supervisor with whom we are forced to work every day) or an event (think of those rude gestures we sometimes see from fellow drivers on the road, or the build-up of anger over a cancelled or delayed flight). Alternatively, our anger can be caused by worrying or brooding about personal problems. Memories of a traumatic or enraging event from the past can also trigger angry feelings - especially because it may now be too late to do anything about it.

Why are some people more angry than others?

Some people really are more ‘hotheaded' than others; they get angry more easily and more intensely than the average person. 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.

People who are easily angered generally have what some psychologists call a low tolerance for frustration. They can't take things in their stride, and they're particularly infuriated if the situation seems somehow unjust: for example, being corrected for a minor mistake.

One cause may be genetic or physiological. Another may be sociocultural. Anger is often regarded as negative; we're taught that it's all right to express anxiety, depression, or other emotions but not to express anger. As a result, we don't learn how to handle it or channel it constructively.

Research has also found that family background plays a role. Typically, people who are easily angered come from families that are disruptive, chaotic, and not skilled at emotional communications.

Good/bad anger traits

Anger can mobilize us mentally, boost our determination to correct wrong behaviour, promote our sense of social justice, communicate our negative feelings and redress our grievances. It can also facilitate patience.

On the other hand, anger can be destructive when it does not find its appropriate outlet in expression. Anger impairs our mental ability to process information and to exert mental control over our behaviour. When we get angry, we lose our objectivity, empathy, prudence and thoughtfulness, which can be a primary reason for some people to harm others.

We should all learn to recognise the difference between anger and aggression - whether verbal, physical, direct or indirect - even though they mutually influence each other. While anger can activate aggression or increase its probability or intensity, it is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for aggression.

Things to learn from our anger

Anger can mobilize our psychological resources for corrective action and can be used as a manipulation strategy for social influence.

Remember, we can't eliminate anger - and it wouldn't be a good idea if we could. In spite of all our efforts, things will happen that will cause us annoyance; and sometimes it will be justifiable anger. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss, and the unpredictable actions of others. We can't change that; but we can change the way we let such events affect us.