The many faces of anger

Sandra R. Arbetter
Current Health 2 (Vol.16 issue 5)
Jan. 1990

Anger is as much a part of today's screenplays as it was when Spencer Tracy was
infuriating Katherine Hepburn, but we've changed our views on how to handle it. Anger is a
response to frustration, real or perceived. It's partly biological, partly social, and partly
psychological. It's with us from birth to old age, and it changes as we grow older. These same
changes describe our inborn fight-or-flight response. When we are faced with danger, this
prehistoric response gives us the extra energy we need to fight back or to run away. If we get
angry because someone is attacking us, the physical reactions are useful. Anger is also
biological in the sense that it can affect health. In a study at Duke University Medical Center,
researchers found that people who habitually felt angry and scored high on tests of hostility
were 50 percent more likely to have had a blockage of coronary arteries than were people with
low scores. As a reaction to stress, the body produces hormones that cause the heart to beat
more strongly and the blood pressure to rise. When this reaction is long-lasting or happens
often, there may be damage to coronary arteries. The stress hormones can also cause fat to be
released into the bloodstream, which raises cholesterol levels and may block arteries. Recent
studies have shown angry outbursts may not be as unhealthy as ongoing negative attitudes. A
report from the Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland, says that the most harmful hostility is
the antagonistic kind, seen in people who are rude, condescending, and uncooperative. The
tendency to anger quickly may be inherited. Some people may be born with a lower threshold of
anger, which means that they get angry more easily and more often. While some Mediterranean
countries are considered to be tolerant of anger; it is expressed freely. In the 1970s, the free
expression of anger was encouraged, and everyone was advised to "let it all hang out." Now we
are in a period of greater control. In their book Anger, the struggle for emotional control in
America's History, Carol and Peter Stearns says, that as our society has shifted from a
manufacturing economy to a service economy, we've had to change our view on anger.
Children are already being trained to be consistently "nice" and "we are in an era of the attempt
to manage anger out of existence." At different ages, people handle anger in different ways.
The anger of a 2-year-old, for example, is developing a sense of himself as a person separate
from his parents, and his temper tantrums may be a way of showing his new-found
independence. The biggest task of adolescence is to separate from your parents, and it's easier
to gain distance in anger than in sadness. The way a person handles anger also depends on
how he or she has been taught to handle feelings. Parents are models for expressing anger,
says Dr. Pieter DeVryer, a Chicago-area psychiatrist, and if parents aren't free to express their
anger, their children probably won't be. Some parents model a style of expressing anger that Dr.
DeVryer calls the "water closet" phenomenon. Anger slowly builds up without release and then -
flush - comes roaring out all at once. People who handle anger in this way usually are not
comfortable being assertive and cannot let others know when they feel they have been
wronged. Abused children on the other hand, may build up resentment that is released years
later on their own children. Victims of poor parenting may carry around feelings of hostility that
they take out on authority figures such as the school or the law. Dr. DeVryer says that some
people suppress their anger because their self-image may not allow free expression. They may
need to see themselves as always in control and unflustered by any situation. Perfectionists, for
example, hold in their anger - as well as other feelings. Anger may also be influenced by the use
of alcohol and other drugs. Some people use alcohol to tame rampant anger; others use it to
loosen inhibitions so they can let out their anger. Anger can be a useful feeling. It helps you
correct the injustice. But anger uncontrolled or misdirected can be harmful - physically, socially,
and psychologically. Psychologist Carol Tavris, author of Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion,
says that talking about anger increases feelings of anger by "rehearsing the emotion." She also
says that suppressing anger is no worse than letting it out through angry outbursts. Is Anger a
Problem for you?

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A8243813/STOM?u=neep41007&sid=STOM&xid=b19ce287

We exist because of love. God created everything, Especially, humans because of love. Our
parents gave us life and raised us full of love. We grew up in a society driven by the pleasure principle
with the instinct to seek positive feelings and experiences and to avoid pain. This is why I chose this
article because of the idea of anger that arises despite that we are raised by love. I find that this article
actively illustrates the many faces of anger in terms of biological, social, and psychological response. It’s
very informative how anger affects our health, our attitudes towards our peers, and how it is handled.
Anger displacement discussed in this article is something I have personally experienced and observed
towards others. Sometimes when my mom has a bad day at work and grounds me for minor reasons, I
know that she displaces her anger at work onto me. Similarly, people who have trouble being assertive
often have a fear of authority, and they may take out their feelings on strangers. They curse and scream
at other motorists from the safety of their own car. They degrade waiters and waitresses for the slightest
flaw in service. The statement, “Anger can be a very useful feeling. It communicates your displeasure to
others. It motivates you to correct an injustice.” stood out to me because I feel that anger is a response to
grievance. Just as we have the right to our other feelings. We have a right to our anger. Keeping in mind
though that, “Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the
right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within
everybody’s power, and that is not easy.” (Aristotle). This article has some very helpful tips as to how to
deal with anger in a healthy way.