Cause and Effect of Anger

Anger in short

It is a common and unavoidable emotion.

Anger can be constructive or destructive.

Each person has a different anger “threshold”.

Sometimes people are not even aware they are angry.

It is said that the average adult gets angry about once a day, and is annoyed or peeved about three times a day.

Pain and anger – is there a connection?

We can become angry when we don’t feel well, didn’t get enough sleep and/or are feeling hungry, suffer from feelings of rejection or threat, or when we experience loss.

Whatever triggers it, the pain is an unpleasant experience.

Second hand emotion

This emotional or physical feeling, combined with anger-triggering thoughts, based on personal assessment, assumptions, evaluations, and (often wrong) interpretations, produces anger.

Experts call this a “second hand” and “social” emotion. The target that caused you pain (sometimes yourself) motivates you to take action, and you’re ready to strike out.

Anger as a “substitute” emotion

There are people who don’t want to, or can’t handle emotional pain. Their anger changes the focal point from themselves to the person who caused their pain.

Fearful and vulnerable people often hide behind the smoke screen of their anger. It gives them a seductive feeling of righteousness, a powerful (temporary) boost of their self-esteem and superiority; they think their anger is justified.

Long-term refusal to deal with emotional problems causes people to develop an (unconscious) habit of transforming all their feelings into anger. It’s a dangerous situation, for anger won’t take away the pain, but often leads to a destructive, downward spiral.

Cause and Effect

Both our mind and body are involved in this strong emotion.

One part of our brain (amygdala) identifies threats, sends out the alarm, and prepares us for “flight and fight”.

The amygdala reacts impulsively, before another part of our brain, responsible for thought and judgment, (the cortex, “wakes up”.

But we can control our aggressive impulses. Another part of the cortex is able to switch off emotions, plays an executive role and let us use our judgment to override emotional reactions.

What happens when we become angry?

When anger arises, the muscles tense and the brain releases chemicals that give you a burst of energy.

The heart rate accelerates, blood pressure rises, breathing becomes faster.

The body prepares for physical action by an increased blood flow in arms and legs, and the face may become flushed.

The attention narrows to the target of your anger.

More chemicals and hormones are released (among them adrenaline and noradrenalin) creating a lasting state of arousal, and you’re ready to fight.

Winding down

When the anger begins to subside (wind-down phase) it may take the body a few hours, sometimes days, to get rid of the adrenaline-caused arousal state.

This situation lowers our anger-threshold.

Minor irritations that we on other days laugh about, can trigger new angry outbursts.

Anger and stress are similar – the more stressed you are, the less it takes to get to overload point. (Short fused.)

How did it start?

The lingering “arousal” interferes with our ability to remember, that’s why people often can’t remember what triggered the explosive arguments.

“I can’t help it…”

Although an angry person may state otherwise, nobody is born with an “anger problem”.

Aggressive habits and chronic anger are learned, often in childhood, by copying behavior from others.

When a parent constantly reacts angry or abusive (verbally or physically), the child perceives this as “normal” and will behave in the same way.

An abused child may translate its anger in hostility towards others, thinking that “a good offense is the best defense.”

Bullies that are rewarded and reinforced learn to be aggressively hostile. They love it that others are afraid of them – it raises their social status and position, and hides their insecurity and fear.

Abused and wounded individuals often seek revenge against an entire group of people.

Angry people that hide behind the excuse “I was born this way” are wrong – they can learn to manage their anger properly.

The question is if they want to.