Anger Management

Kristy's Group 9/19/02
Paraphrased by Kathi Stringer
9/27/02 Revision [N/C]
Graphics -- Kathi Stringer

This group validates that anger is valid and lets us know when our boundaries are being violated.

Anger becomes a problem when the adult acts out in childish ways.


Yell Scream Throw Things People Get Hurt Silence Tantrums Verbal Abuse Anger Outbursts	Yell Scream Throw Things Hit Head Banging Tantrums Verbal Abuse I Hate You

The Similarities
Did you notice how the childish adult is behaving like a 2-year-old? For a 2-year-old it is developmentally age appropriate to to behave in this manner because a child does not have alternative ways to communicate their feelings.

The Source
If a child grows up in an environment with adults that yell, scream, and throw things, and at the same time punishes the child abusively for the child's valid anger, then this teaches the child that 'only' adults are allowed to be abusive. The child internalizes to be an adult means to be able to be abusive when angry. Some adults that behave like 2-year-olds when angry have learned this from their parents.

Defuse the anger through coping strategies.

Measure Your Anger
It is important to learn ways to channel anger in healthy ways.

As time moves forward, and coping skills are not sufficient to release or rechannel the anger, then anger accumulates toward the danger zone as shown in the figures on the right.

Faces of Anger
Escalating anger can take the form of depression and turned inward to self-injury. On the flip side, anger can be turned outward as violence toward others. Either way, anger can have devastating affects on the life of the individual(s).