Anger is making huge headlines with ‘road rage’, conflicts at work/school, domestic violence and over chastisement of children. Anger causes major physical symptoms and mental health difficulties. Anger is focused attention and is caused by high emotion preventing a person seeing anything other than their viewpoint. Taken to extremes people who express anger can find that they can get their own way therefore it is a strategy they can use to their advantage when they feel they have no other choice or when they feel they might lose. Anger is also controlling and powerful and can be a strategy used for people who may feel they do not have any control in their lives and lack confidence or self worth.
Anger is also used by people who have not been able to learn the skills of negotiation or compromise either through poor parenting or through communication problems or learning disabilities. Anger can also be passive, moods, ‘looks’, gossip, using headaches or illness to get your own way, sabotaging plans and alcohol and substance misuse are forms of anger. Sometimes people have a right to be angry, it is therefore not wrong to feel angry but if anger stops a person from fulfilling their goals, or hurts other people then it needs to be managed. We are able to help you recognise those situations when you feel anger and offer strategies to help you manage it better.
