Anger Humans Most Hated Character

Anger

What is anger?

Anger is one of the seven universal emotions which arise when we are blocked from pursuing a goal and treated unfairly. At its most extreme, anger can be one of the most dangerous emotions because of its potential connection to violence. Therefore, it is a common emotion to seek help in dealing with.

Feeling anger

The primary message of anger is, “Get out of my way!” and communicates anything from mere dissatisfaction to threats.

When we’re angry, it’s possible to experience other feelings such as fear (of inflicting harm to ourselves or others) or disgust (for the person or thing blocking you from your goal). If you were taught that feeling anger is “bad,” you might even feel embarrassed or shameful for having felt the emotion at all. Furthermore, if you were angry and it leads you to do something you considered to be inappropriate, you may feel regretful.

What makes us angry

We all get angry about some of the same things, but each of us have our own hottest triggers.

Common Anger Triggers:

  • Interference: if the interference is deliberate, the anger can be more robust and can be felt toward oneself for being unable to remove the obstacle
  • Injustice
  • Someone trying to hurt us or a loved one physically or psychologically
  • Another person’s anger: one of the big problems with anger is that it is difficult not to reciprocate
  • Betrayal, abandonment, rejection
  • Observing someone breaking the law or a cultural rule like cutting inline

Physical effects of anger

Anger triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight response. Other emotions that trigger this response include fear, excitement, and anxiety. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration increase, the body temperature rises, and the skin perspires. The mind is sharpened and focused.

Health problems with anger

The constant flood of stress chemicals and associated metabolic changes that go with ongoing unmanaged anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body.

Some of the short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include:

Expressing anger in healthy ways

Suggestions on how to express your anger in healthy ways include:

  • If you feel out of control, walk away from the situation temporarily until you cool down.
  • Recognize and accept the emotion as normal and part of life.
  • Try to pinpoint the exact reasons why you feel angry.
  • Once you have identified the problem, consider coming up with different strategies for how to remedy the situation.
  • Do something physical, such as going for a run or playing sport.
  • Talk to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.

Unhelpful ways to deal with anger

Many people express their anger in inappropriate and harmful ways, including:

  • anger explosions – some people have very little control over their anger and tend to explode in rages. Raging anger may lead to physical abuse or violence. A person who doesn’t control their temper can isolate themselves from family and friends. Some people who fly into rages have low self-esteem and use their anger as a way to manipulate others and feel powerful. For more information, see ‘What is violence against women?’ on the White Ribbon Australia website
  • anger repression – some people consider that anger is an inappropriate or ‘bad’ emotion and choose to suppress it. However, bottled anger often turns into depression and anxiety. Some people vent their bottled anger at innocent parties, such as children or pets.