Topic: DEALING WITH ANGER

Title: Anger Management: Learn a better way of dealing with your Anger

Learning Objectives: (cognitive, affective, psychomotor)

● Cognitive: To determine the definition of anger and the types of anger including the
causes that triggers it.
● Affective: To understand how anger can affect oneself and the people around them.
● Psychomotor: To know the way of handling anger and learn anger management
techniques.

Introduction/Framework: (2 paragraphs)

In this module, the definition of anger, its causes, the types of it, and how to deal
with it will be discussed. In addition, different ways and techniques to manage anger in a
more healthy way will also be tackled.

Thus, anger is a normal emotion that people experience, but it is not a feeling to
sustain. It is not usually expressed verbally and varies from person to person. Anger
should, however, always be managed because it can have negative effects on both the
person experiencing it and those around them.

Even though this emotion is normal, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s handled properly,
especially when you’re being mistreated or feel wronged in some way. It’s easy for things to get out of
hand and your anger to become a problem when you express it in a negative way that may cause harm
to yourself or others.

Icebreaker/Video
● “Why Do You Get Angry Easily?” (video)
○ https://youtu.be/Pj1Di0xtS1g

Discussion/Content
A. COGNITIVE
a. What is anger?
■ Anger is a natural and largely automatic reaction to suffering, whether it
be physical or mental. Anger can also be a ‘secondary emotion’ to feeling
sad, scared, threatened, lonely and betrayed.
■ Anger can be expressed through verbal and nonverbal. Verbally
expressed anger can be projected through yelling and stating hurtful
words toward the target. While non verbally expressed anger can be
determined when physical gestures and body language changes.
Three Types of Anger
● Passive-Aggressive Anger
When someone tries to suppress their anger in order to avoid dealing with it but usually ends up
letting it out in unhealthy and harmful ways. That might mean being quiet or ignoring
people instead of shouting and raging.

Pretending things are fine and bottling things up while giving off passive-aggressive
vibes to those around you isn’t a great thing for anyone. In many cases, this kind of
anger comes from a need to be in control of the situation despite your rising anger
levels.

Why is this unhealthy? It can lead to emotional problems

● Assertive Anger
This may be a constructive way to vent anger. It entails controlling anger by using words to
calmly explain and try to alleviate the situation. Anger is being displayed in this instance in a
more calm and non-threatening manner.
A third way to express anger is assertively. This is often referred to as "healthy" anger and
involves expressing your feelings directly and in a non-threatening way that does not hurt
others, yourself, or any property.Expressing your anger directly includes being clear about what
your needs are and how they might be met without hurting other people. Assertive expression of
anger can also mean coping with it on your own without talking to others. This might be done by
channeling your angry energy into something else like exercise or a creative project.Being able
to do this may also require that you work on your general self-soothing skills such as relaxation
exercises, taking time-outs as necessary, and healthy physical activity.

● Openly Aggressive Anger

Physical or verbal aggressiveness, such as yelling or hitting items, may accompany this kind of
rage. Usually, the intent of this kind of anger is to physically or emotionally harm the target of
the hatred.

b. What causes anger?

People frequently show anger in a variety of ways, but they typically have four main triggers in
common which are categorized into distress, annoyance, abuse, and inconvenience.
Anger can be caused by external or internal triggers. An example of external triggers are
physical threats or frustrations. On the other hand, internal triggers are caused by irrational
perceptions and negative emotions.
Examples:
External: A person bumped into you while you were drinking a coffee in a coffee shop and
spilled it all over your shirt which made you angry.
Internal: You saw the same person who bumped into you in the same coffee shop after a few
days, which made you angry because you remembered what happened the other day.

AFFECTIVE
c. What happens to our body when we get angry?
 Anger causes a rise in heart rate and other physical effects on a person’s body like
sweating, trembling, jaw clenching, etc. Arterial tension, and testosterone production is also an
effect of anger. The stress hormone cortisol starts to drop while the left hemisphere of the brain
starts to get more active. In addition, the amygdala which is a region in the brain is responsible
for controlling emotions including anger that also triggers a person’s fight or flight responses.

d. Effects of anger
■ Intrapersonal - Whilst expressing anger feels good in the moment, it
frequently results in feelings of guilt, pity, humiliation, and sadness. On a
cognitive level, one may recognize that his or her reaction was
exaggerated, misdirected, and/or unwarranted. In most cases, this gives
a negative impact to one's self-esteem.

■ Interpersonal - Couple things can harm a relationship as much as an

inability to control individual's anger. Frequent and intense outbursts,
whether verbal or physical, can destroy relationships, tear families apart,
and ruin friendships. It can also have an impact on relationships with
classmates or teachers, jeopardizing accomplishments and productivity
due to poorly managed anger, despair, and frustration.

B. PSYCHOMOTOR
a. How to deal with anger?
- The following can help deal with anger in healthy ways:
1. After you've acknowledged the issue, try various approaches to resolving
it to prevent an outburst of emotions.
2. Try to determine the specific reasons for your anger.
3. Discuss your feelings with someone you trust.
4. If you feel like you're losing control, step away from the scene until you
can calm down.
5. Learn relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, to help calm down
anger.
6. Recognise and accept the emotion as normal and part of life.
7. Always remind yourself that getting angry will not solve anything, will not
improve your mood and may even cause you to feel worse.
8. If you're in a heated argument, the first thing you should do is calm down
and think through your responses. Slow down and think carefully about
what you want to say rather than saying the first thing that comes to mind.
9. Allow yourself a breather. Schedule some "private time" for times of the
day that you think are pretty intense.
10. Lastly, if you believe your anger is out of control, affecting your
relationships and other significant aspects of your life, you should
consider seeking counseling to learn how to manage it better. A
psychologist or other licensed mental health professional can help you
 develop a variety of techniques for transforming your thoughts and
behaviors.

Closing Activity
● ”Anger Management Techniques” (video)
○ https://youtu.be/BsVq5R_F6RA
● Are you angry right now?
● Why? (think rationally)
● What could be the best way to deal with it?

To end:
We all experience anger and we all get angry in various situations. Dealing with it calmly is often the best way
to go.

References
● American Psychological Association. (2022). Control anger before it controls you.
Retrieved from: apa.org. https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control
● Anger - how it affects people. (2019). Retrieved from: Better Health Channel.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/anger-how-it-affects-people
● George, R. (2010). What Happens When We Get Angry? Retrieved from:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190522
● Ishak, R. (2022). This Is What Happens to Your Body When You’re Angry. Retrieved
from: HelloGiggles. https://hellogiggles.com/how-does-anger-affect-the-body/
● Lautieri, A. (2022). Psychology Of Anger. Retrieved from MentalHelp.net:
https://www.mentalhelp.net/anger/
● Ohwovoriole, T. (2021). How to Manage Your Anger. Retrieved from: Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-anger-5120208
● Smith, M. & Segal, J. (2022). Anger Management. Retrieved from Help Guide website:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/anger-management.htm
● https://www.orchardvalleycounselling.ca/3-different-types-of-anger/
● https://www.umassd.edu/counseling/for-parents/recommended-readings/anger-
management/