1. PURPOSES
Anger is a major source and cause (or result) of social illness and personal suffering. To fix society, fix its afflictions, methodically and thoroughly. This article seeks to help that process.
This article hopes to stimulate and assist thoughtful understanding in order to, perhaps, help us deal with and better handle this natural, but often counterproductive, human behavior.
Immediate Applicability.
In the Section, "Literature (a Sampling)," at the bottom of this article, is a link-list of good sources concerning some of the available methods for efficiently and effectively managing anger.
A DISCLAIMER
In no way do I claim to be expert in the related professional mental health fields. This information is intended to BEGIN and develop another public discussion on the nature and behavior of human life, with a view toward helping, in practical ways, to neutralize the hazards and maximize the opportunities. If you directly sense a serious mental illness of concern, please consult a professional practitioner or a reputable special-purpose organization for guidance. Perhaps this Google search can help: "How to get help for someone with a mental illness."
2. RATIONALE
1. Happiness is a great goal and enabler of productive human life -- rather than the alternative, which involves spreading more sorrow. If "knowledge is power," then perhaps more knowledge about the nature of "anger," and how to manage it, successfully, can help curtail or redirect its harmful potential -- WITH GREAT POWER -- for the good of all.
2. Like all important things in life, hard experience and systematic thought teach invaluable lessons to the wise. And there is a huge accumulation of knowledge and strategies built-up to guide the alert among us, concerning frowning acts.
3. Since so much is at stake, it makes sense to explore this subject, until thoroughly understood and taken seriously by ever-increasing numbers of us.
4. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF THE TOPIC OF ANGER -- for severe mental illness or personality disorders could be at work -- the psychopath or sociopath -- perhaps, disguised, submerged, or undetectable at a glance -- until the right stimulus (or, perhaps non-stimulus, but chance) sets them off -- constitutes a special problem (to be dealt with, separately).
5. This bulletin presumes behaviors under more "normal" and controllable circumstances -- where a "usually-sound mind" does regrettable things. Although, more severe mental issues are touched upon in the Definitions and Literature sections.
3. BACKGROUND
1. So many of our social ills have their roots in anger. Sudden emotional impulses that overpower reason and cause abnormal and negative actions and reactions, often lead to tragic, avoidable consequences.
2. And anger often produces many more victims than just those directly involved in a confrontation. Individual and family lives and futures can be disrupted or destroyed -- especially for those who have special connection to the souls engaged.
3. Society, in general, can be deprived of vital members, services, and human potential -- through unbridled releases of wild, animal anger. Economic costs of redressing imbalances and trying to restore productive stability are enormous. A serious and costly detraction from a sense of well-being is imposed on anyone who is subjected to, witnesses, or learns of yet another senseless act occurring somewhere in their near or remote environments.
4. Anger can add more fuel to a general sense of futility and disappointment, as to human character and its worrisome unpredictability -- with yet another devastating reminder of personal and social vulnerability to hasty actions that can strike without warning, from often surprising sources -- threatening all and wasting their security-resources.
5. How many crimes and tragedies and losses of much human potential could be averted, if only the phenomenon of anger was better understood and handled? A violent action or reaction could be anticipated and neutralized by general and self-knowledge, rather than be unleashed with sudden, painful, and eventually (or instantly) regretted consequences -- often to the complete surprise of both the disturbed souls who act in anger, as well as to innocent victims and witnesses.
6. Perhaps, even more than the threat of punishment and retribution, self-knowledge and forethought might help prevent momentary satisfaction of wild impulse from creating a lifetime of deep regret and impotent apology -- which may never be heard without suspicion, resentment, and lingering sorrow.
7. Often, it seems, violent anger is used as a way of proving a sort of manhood or womanhood status, to oneself or to others -- perhaps as a way of establishing a sense of "respect" and avoiding a "loss of face," so as to alter another's future behavior to better advantage. Sometimes this works, often times it makes things worse. It can be a terrible gamble on which to stake futures.
8. Which is why understanding, ahead of time, how to handle such situations, safely and smoothly, is so important in removing anger as an ineffective tool for temporary displays of so-called "maturity," when it so often does exactly the opposite.
Besides, there tends to be a great deal of admiration, respect, confidence, and advancement for a person who can be relied upon to maintain "cool style," under challenging circumstances.
9. Barbarism is a legacy of the past and is repeatedly shown to be a poor guarantor of a favorable future. A new and better "arsenal" is needed to insure a highly-desirable CIVIL existence throughout the land.
4. DEFINITIONS
Anger
- A strong feeling of displeasure, hostility, belligerence aroused by a wrong; wrath; ire.
- A feeling of great annoyance or antagonism as the result of some real or supposed grievance; rage; wrath
- Synonyms: enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, ire, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up, tick off, get one's goat, rub the wrong way
- Antonyms: delight, gratify, please
- Feeling or showing anger or strong resentment (usually followed by at, with, or about ): to be angry at the dean; to be angry about the snub.
- Expressing, caused by, or characterized by anger; wrathful: angry words.
- (Of an object or phenomenon) exhibiting a characteristic or creating a mood associated with anger or danger, as by color, sound, force, etc.: an angry sea; the boom of angry guns.
(Encyclopedia of Psychology)
- Anger is an emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.
- Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems.
- But excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health.
Anger Management
- Anger management is a process of learning to recognize signs that you're becoming angry, and taking action to calm down and deal with the situation in a positive way. Anger management doesn't try to keep you from feeling anger or encourage you to hold it in. Anger is a normal, healthy emotion when you know how to express it appropriately. Anger management is about learning how to do this. (Mayo Clinic)
- The ability for a person to control his/her temperament, particularly in stressful situations; to show proper behavior and/or disagree appropriately without losing control of one's emotions. The rebellious boy's father showed great restraint when he had to deal with his increasingly bad behavior. (Allwords.com)
- The term Anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state. One technique for controlling anger is finding agreement with another person rather than a conflict. In some countries, courses in anger management may be mandated by their legal system. (Selfgrowth.com)
Barbarism
- An act, trait, or custom characterized by ignorance or crudity.
- The use of words, forms, or expressions considered incorrect or unacceptable.
- Without civilizing influences; uncivilized; primitive: barbaric invaders.
- A barbarous social or intellectual condition : backwardness.
- The practice or display of barbarian acts, attitudes, or ideas.
- An idea, act, or expression that in form or use offends against contemporary standards of good taste or acceptability.
Innocent
- Uncorrupted by evil, malice, or wrongdoing; sinless: an innocent child.
- Not guilty of a specific crime or offense; legally blameless: was innocent of all charges.
- Within, allowed by, or sanctioned by the law; lawful.
- Not dangerous or harmful; innocuous: an innocent prank.
- Candid; straightforward: a child's innocent stare.
- Not experienced or worldly; naive.
- Betraying or suggesting no deception or guile; artless.
- Not exposed to or familiar with something specified; ignorant: American tourists wholly innocent of French.
- Unaware: She remained innocent of the complications she had caused.
- Lacking, deprived, or devoid of something: a novel, innocent of literary merit.
- 1. A person, especially a child, who is free of evil or sin.
- 2. A simple, guileless, inexperienced, or unsophisticated person.
- 3. A very young child.
- The act of provoking.
- Something that incites, instigates, angers, or irritates.
- Criminal Law: words or conduct leading to killing in hot passion and without deliberation.
- Conduct by which one induces another to do a particular deed; the act of inducing rage, anger, or resentment in another person that may cause that person to engage in an illegal act.
- Psychosis is a fundamental derangement of the mind (as in schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality especially as evidenced by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized speech and behavior.
- A psychopath is a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.
- A sociopath is person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience.
- Infliction of punishment in return for a wrong committed; retribution.
- The act of or desire for taking revenge; retributive punishment
- The act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done [OR ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE DONE]); "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord"--Romans 12:19; "For vengeance I would do nothing. This nation is too great to look for mere revenge"--James Garfield; "he swore vengeance on the man who betrayed him"; "the swiftness of divine retribution"
Victim
- One that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent <the schools are victims of the social system>: as
- (1) : one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions <a victim of cancer> <a victim of the auto crash> <a murder victim> , etc.
- (2) : one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment <a frequent victim of political attacks>
- One that is tricked or duped <a con man's victim>
- Strong vengeful anger or indignation
- Retributory punishment for an offense or a crime : divine chastisement
- Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger.
- angry, violent, or stern indignation
5. The Literature (A Sampling)
American Psychological Association - Anger
Anger (Google search)
Anger Management (Google search)
Anger Management (In-depth Wikipedia Article)
AngerManagementTips.Com
Answers.Com
SelfGrowth.Com
Special Cases -- Psychopath and Sociopath
Psychosis in General (Wikipedia discussion)
Sociopath in General (Google search)
Antisocial Personality Disorder (Wikipedia discussion)
The difference between a psychopath and a sociopath (Wisegeek.com)
Antisocial Personality Disorder (Wikipedia discussion)
The difference between a psychopath and a sociopath (Wisegeek.com)
Dealing with a psychopath (Google search)
Dealing with a sociopath (Google search)
Please note: Right now, this is a basic link-list. I hope it proves helpful and do intend to refine it. Eventually, it is hoped that a comprehensive analysis of all resources can be conducted so as to distill a clear regimen of those things that are necessary AND sufficient to master the human anger impulse.
MORE TO FOLLOW
David Nelson,
Editor
All Original Content © 2012 , The MENTOR Enterprises / ELMS, All Rights Reserved -- BUT, I hereby suspend those rights, to this extent: You may freely copy and pass this along, if you think it will do some good -- as long as it's free of charge, unchanged, and you include this statement.
No comments:
Post a Comment