The Heavy Costs of Anger
If you are like most people, you are probably intelligent and have good skills for resolving conflict and difficulties – when you are notangry. After you have cooled down, you can calmy identify and agree that you did not function at your best while in a state of rage.
While anger may help in some situations, it is rarely helpful in making positive change or solving conflicts. Although anger is a normal human emotion, it is hardly the most useful for solving problems. Anger often leads to aggression. Aggression can be seen in many forms of violence, including road rage, desk rage, spousal abuse, child abuse , animal abuse, elder abuse and violence between children. The evening news is filled with examples. While anger does not automatically lead to aggression, it often does. It is frequently a blueprint for violence.
For many of you, who may not have considered addressing this issue on your own, Anger Management classes may well be an opportunity to improve your ability to manage intense emotions and to practice healthy styles of communication.
Adapted from Gaining Control of Ourselves, pgs. 21-23. Anderson and Anderson 2005.
Gaining Control of Ourselves is the workbook used to support material taught in our classes.
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