Causes of Angry Behavior - Case Study Example

Changing Attitude Introduction: In dealing with people, I often find it hard to communicate effectively, especially with those I love. While dealingwith the internal and external stressors that are a part of my life, I find that tension builds up within me, so that I often explode in anger as a means to give vent to that underlying tension. I am unhappy with this behavioral aspect because I end up venting my anger on those I love and hurting them, so that the process of seeking of release for my tensions ultimately turns out to be a deeply wounding experience for my loved ones and friends. I am also afraid that during one of my angry bouts, I might seriously hurt someone physically. Through this research paper, I will therefore attempt to delve deeper into the underlying causes of angry behavior, to try and understand the reasons why it develops so easily. In this way, through an understanding of the underlying causes, I may be able to find ways and means to cope with this behavior and change my attitude. Literature Review: Ambrose and Mayne (1999) have summed up the problem of anger as an attitude prevailing among members in society as follows: “Anger remains one of the most significant problems facing our society today. In a world growing more crowded, with the pace of life increasing exponentially…..there is growing potential for anger to play a destructive role on a frighteningly large scale.” (p 362). Anger and aggression is undesirable behavior because it generally leads an individual to manifest that anger against a loved one or an acquaintance. According to Averill (1993), over half of most aggressive actions involving anger are perpetrated against a loved one or an acquaintance, while only 6% of anger episodes are directed against external objects. Biological causes for anger: In offering an explanation for anger, Jeremy Griffith focuses upon biological elements which contribute to this kind of attitude. He points out that unlike animals, human beings are fully conscious. As a result human insight into the past enables a person to make predictions about what is likely to happen in the future, and it is this consciousness that also endows human beings with the ability to control their instincts and manage their lives.(www.humancondition.info). However, in some instances, a conflict develops, between orientated instinct and the experimenting intellect which seeks to understand life’s patterns and to develop greater control over the events in one’s life through using one’s mind. The instincts in effect, try to stop the necessary search for knowledge which is initiated by the conscious mind. The intellect perceives this as unjust criticism from the instincts, tries to block it out of its mind and tries to prove the instincts wrong, which produce an upset, angry and alienated state.(www.humancondition.info). However, the development of this angry behavior is antithetical to human instinctive orientation, which is to behave lovingly and cooperatively. As a result, the initial feeling of upset which generates anger is worsened by guilt which increases the feelings of anger by compounding the insecurities and frustrations which produced the anger in the first place. Cognitive approach to anger: The cognitive approach to anger suggests that the state of an individual’s emotions are mediated by the ongoing process of cognitive appraisal which takes place in a person’s mind. Maladaptive thinking processes are the central aspect in generation of anger (McGinn and Sanderson 2001), therefore cognitive approaches seek to address these faulty thinking patterns. For example, when people are angry, there is a change in their thinking process and they become single mindedly focused on the provocation. When people are unable to express their anger, because of their own internal rules or the rules of society around them which says anger must not be expressed openly, they tend to block up their anger. Such blocking often leads to accumulation of aroused physiological feelings and leads to depression and stress.(Westmeyer, n.d). People with rigid beliefs and cognitive deficits tend to get angry quickly, however, people who are able to predict what could happen if they lose their temper are more able to control their feelings. Anger as learned behavior: To some extent, anger may also be learned behavior. For instance, individuals who come from homes where as children, they witness hostile or angry behavior being used to influence others, may copy the same behavioral patterns and use similar behavior themselves when they are adults, because it seems normal to them. (www.mentalhealth.net). Children who grow up in homes where they have been abused may also adopt a hostile, aggressive behavioral pattern in their desire to achieve mastery over themselves so no one can abuse them again, or as revenge for what they have suffered. When individuals behave as bullies and exhibit intimidating or angry behavior and find others respecting or fearing them for it, this in turn may encourage and propagate the feelings of anger that they carry around in order to provoke fear and obedience in others. Anger behavioral modification patterns: Attempts that were made to control anger by allowing and helping clients to vent their angry feelings turned out to be counter productive in helping them. Many therapists who have tried to help clients deal with their anger in this way have found that expressing anger appears to only lead to an increase in anger, which is counterproductive in terms of the objectives sought to be achieved through anger therapy.(Bushman, Baumeister and Philips, 2001) Cognitive behavioral approaches, social skills training and relaxation are some of the methods that have been devised for coping with anger. These can be completed in about eight sessions and demonstrates positive results in terms of reduction in anger and aggression. During these treatments, attempts are made to identify the cognitive and behavioral responses to perceived provocation and then modulate them. Individuals are made to understand and monitor their anger patterns and are taught skills to develop alternative response patterns to provocation.(Stermac, 1987). Cognitive therapy works by attacking the defective thinking patterns in individuals. It teaches individuals to relax, meditate, to step back from an angry situation and to try and put themselves in another’s place. Individuals are taught to train themselves to listen to the other person, despite their feelings of anger which create a hostile filter that does not make an angry receptive to another’s point of view. Teaching the angry person to think about the outcome of expressing anger is helpful in enabling individuals to stop themselves before they burst out. (Westmayer, n.d). Group therapy is used in anger treatment in order to achieve multi-component intervention. Teaching clients relaxation based techniques and skills training in coping effectively anger with anger has been found to be useful and leading to positive outcomes. Conclusions: On the basis of the above, the conclusion that I am able to draw is that anger could have many underlying causes. It could be learned behavior, or it could be caused by maladaptive thinking patterns. Anger could also lead to negative consequences for health in the long run caused by too much stress. Therefore in dealing with this problem, I would first try and understand where the source of my anger behavioral pattern lies. I will examine my childhood environment, to examine whether I have learnt this kind of behavior. If I have been suppressing emotions, as a result of which anger has been building up inside me, I need to face up to that fact and learn to vent my anger in healthy ways. As suggested by the literature review above, it appears that expressing anger may in fact be counter productive, because it may lead to more anger. Therefore, I would need to focus my efforts on developing the proper vents through which I can channel away my anger. I would try to engage my mind more when confronted with anger, rather than blindly giving way to the emotion. I would have to learn to take some deep breaths and try to relax before exploding into anger. The most important step in management of my anger would be in adjusting and controlling my maladaptive thinking patterns. For instance, I would consider the provocation and whether it is in fact, as serious as I first consider it to be. I will have to train my mind to think about the outcome of my anger. What is the result of expression of anger going to be? If it is likely to be detrimental and produce further tension and feelings of hurt, then I would try and control it and let the provocation go rather than making an issue about it. I would try and consider whether I am approaching the provocation with a narrow minded view rather than considering the other person’s perspective as well. In all these ways, I would be modifying the cognitive behavioral aspects that give rise to the angry behavior and training myself to refine those maladaptive thinking patterns to achieve more positive outcomes. Another aspect that may be useful is in getting into group therapy. By interacting with a group and talking about the things that make me angry, I may be able to acquire a different perspective on the situation and see that the provocative situations that make me angry may not be so serious after all. Group therapy would provide me a vent, not through expression of anger but by talking about, analyzing and understanding te reasons why I get angry. Arriving at an understanding of the reasons for my anger would be the best way for me to find effective ways of dealing with it. References: * Ambrose, T.K. and Mayne, T.J, 1999. “Research review on anger in Psychotherapy”, Clinical Psychology, 55: 353-363 * “Anger management: Anger styles are learned”, Retrieved November 7, 2007 from: http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=5807&cn=116 * Averill, J,R., 1993. “Illusions of anger” IN R.B. Felsen and J.T. Tedeschi (edn) “Aggression and violence: social interactionist perspectives”, Washington DC: American Psychological Association at pp 171-192. * Bushman, B.J., Baumeister, R,F. and Philips, C.M., 2001. “Do people aggress to improve their mood? Catharsis beliefs, affect regulation opportunity and aggressive responding”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81: 17-32 * Griffith, Jeremy, No date. “The Summary of the biological explanation of the human condition”, Retrieved November 7, 2007 from: http://www.humancondition.info/HumanConditionSummary.html * McGinn, L.K. and Sanderson, W.C., 2001. “What allows cognitive behavioral therapy to be brief: overview, efficacy and crucial factors facilitating brief treatment”, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8: 23-37 * Stermac, L, 1987. “Anger control treatment for forensic patients”, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1: 446-447 * Westmayer, Robert W, No Date. “Anger Management”, Retrieved November 7, 2008 from: http://www.habitsmart.com/anger.html Read More