Anger vs. Chronic Anger, and How to Manage Both
Managing Acute Anger and Chronic Anger
In the first instance of anger, a strategy to manage or regulate it typically entails a two-step process:
- Identify it—i.e. practice emotional self-awareness
- Name it, which entails putting your emotions into words (naming your feelings) or "affect labeling"; this constitutes applied emotional intelligence
Cognitive restructuring, relaxation, and coping skills training can also be useful to manage or overcome situational and general anger. Managing chronic anger, however, requires more than this.
Chronic anger is when a pattern of anger persists over time, as opposed to feeling angry temporarily due to a specific trigger or situation.
While chronic anger can be associated with chronic pain, and various mental health disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, or a personality disorder), it is often the result of unhealed childhood wounds (e.g., emotional or physical neglect/abuse), or currently unmet emotional needs.
5 Fundamental Human Needs
- Secure attachment and connection to others. This includes the need to experience a sense of belonging, stability, nurturance, affection, safety, empathy, and acceptance. Deficiency in this domain can produce a sense of disconnection and rejection.
- Sense of identity. That is, allowing for the emergence of our individual tendencies and natural inclinations. This includes the need to feel competent and independent, having the ability to make our own decisions, and performing adequately in life. Deficiency in this domain can cause impaired autonomy and performance.
- Capacity for self-directedness. This includes having freedom to express our personal opinions, preferences, and needs. Deficiency in this domain can cause impaired limits.
- Ability to identify boundaries and to tolerate necessary discomfort. This includes the need to have self-control, self-regulation, reciprocity, frustration tolerance, mutual respect, and adherence to reasonable rules and limits. Deficiency in this domain can cause other-directedness—a mode of conformity that seeks approval and acceptance from others, as opposed to inner-directedness, which is acting independently and according to a personal moral code.
- Flexibility and optimism. That is, the need to be spontaneous, to balance work and play, to imagine (the possibility of positive outcomes), and to be forgiven when making mistakes. Deficiency in this domain can cause over-vigilance and inhibition.
Not having the above needs adequately met (in the past) or failing to reasonably meet them (in the present), is very likely to make you feel anxious, depressed, or chronically angry.
Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!
Reflection:
Do you get angry often? Why do you think that may be?
#Anger #Self-reflection #Coping #EmotionalRegulation #Mentalhealth
If you liked this article, you might also like, "4 Tips for Managing Anger"
You might also like, "How to manage your anger"
Check out, "2 Ways To Deal With Feelings of Irritability and Anger"
@comfortableNight4463 Thanks for sharing!
@purifyyoursoul You're most welcome!
Anger doesn't need managing. It needs understanding. Humans only feel anger when feeling disrespected or used. Find out what/who is causing it..and remove it/them from your life. The anger will dissappear
