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by Creative on December 13th, 2006

Creative

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How do you manage anger?

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  • by BAM@Cyberscrewed.tk on June 5th, 2008

    BAM@Cyberscrewed.tk

    According to Leland R. Beaumont, each instance of anger demands making a choice:

    * Respond with hostile action, including overt violence
    * Respond with hostile inaction, such as withdrawing or stonewalling
    * Initiate a dominance contest
    * Harbor resentment
    * Work to better understand and constructively resolve the issue

    Views of ancient philosophers

    Seneca addresses the question of mastering anger in three parts: 1. how to avoid becoming angry in the first place 2. how to cease being angry and 3. how to deal with anger in others. Seneca suggests:

    1. In order to avoid becoming angry in the first place, Seneca suggests that the many faults of anger should be repeatedly remembered. One should avoid being too busy or deal with anger-provoking people. Unnecessary hunger or thirst should be avoided and soothing music be listened to.
    2. In order to cease being angry, Seneca suggests "one to check speech and impulses and be aware of particular sources of personal irritation. In dealing with other people, one should not be too inquisitive: It is not always soothing to hear and see everything. When someone appears to slight you, you should be at first reluctant to believe this, and should wait to hear the full story. You should also put yourself in the place of the other person, trying to understand his motives and any extenuating factors, such as age or illness." Seneca further advises daily self-inquisition about one's bad habit.
    3. In order to deal with anger in others, Seneca suggests that the best reaction is to simply do nothing quickly. Certain kind of deception, Seneca says, is necessary in dealing with angry people.

    Galen basically repeats Seneca's points but adds a new point to it: Finding a guide and teacher can help the person in controlling his passions. Galen also gives some hints for finding a good teacher.

    Both Seneca and Galen (and later philosophers) agree that process of controlling anger should start childhood when the children are more malleable. Seneca though warns that this education should not blunt the spirit of the Children nor should they be humiliated or treated severely. At the same time, they should not be pampered. The Children, Seneca says should learn not to beat their playmates nor to become angry at them. The request of Children should not be granted when they are angry, Seneca advices.

    Middle ages

    Maimonides recognized being given to uncontrollable passions as a kind of illness. Like Galen, Maimonides suggested seeking out a philosopher for curing this illness just as one seeks out a physician for curing bodily illnesses. Roger Bacon elaborates Seneca's advices. Many medieval writers discuss at length the evils of anger and the virtues of temperance. John Mirk asks men to "consider how angels flee before them and fiends run toward him to burn him with hellfire."[9]

    In The Canon of Medicine, Ibn Sina (Avicenna) modified the theory of temperaments and argued that anger heralded the transition of melancholia to mania, and explained that humidity inside the head can contribute to such mood disorders. On the other hand, Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi classified anger (along with aggression) as a type of neurosis, while al-Ghazali (Algazel) argued that anger takes form in rage, indignation and revenge, and that "the powers of the soul become balanced if it keeps anger under control."

    Modern times

    According to R. Novaco, anger is an emotional response to provocation. R. Novaco recognized three modalities of anger: cognitive (appraisals), somatic-affective (tension and agitations) and behavioral ( withdrawal and antagonism). In order to manage anger the problems involved in the anger should be discussed Novaco suggests. The situations leading to anger should be explored by the person. The person is then tried to be imagery-based relieved of his or her recent angry experiences.

    Modern therapies for anger involve restructuring thoughts and beliefs in order to bring about a causal reduction in anger. This therapy often comes within the schools of CBT (or cognitive behavioral therapy) or other modern schools such as REBT (or rational emotional behavioral therapy). Research shows that people who suffer from excessive anger often harbor irrational thoughts and beliefs towards negativity. It has been shown that with therapy by a trained professional, individuals can bring their anger to manageable levels.

    The therapy is followed by the so-called "stress inoculation" in which the clients are taught "relaxation skills to control their arousal and various cognitive controls to exercise on their attention, thoughts, images, and feelings. They are taught to see the provocation and the anger itself as occurring in a series of stages, each of which can be dealt with."

    Suppression of anger

    While the early philosophers were not concerned with possible harmful effects of the suppression of anger, modern psychologists point out that suppression of anger may have harmful effects. The suppressed anger may find another outlet, such as a physical symptom, or become more extreme. John W. Fiero cites Los Angeles riots of 1992 as an example of sudden, explosive release of suppressed anger. The anger was then displaced as violence against those who had nothing to do with the matter. Another example of widespread deflection of anger from its actual cause toward a scapegoat, Fiero says, was the blaming of Jews for the economic ills of Germany by the Nazis.

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anger
    _________________________________________

    In addition, I suggest deep breathing, yoga and/or knitting. Apparently that actually works.

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