Anger Management Analysis

Stress, a busy lifestyle, and mounting pressures provide optimal conditions for situations that give rise to anger. And while anger is a perfectly normal emotion, how it's expressed determines how healthy a force it is in a person's life. An anger management analysis may be in order if anger has become a disruptive force in a person's everyday life.

Identification

• As far as emotional states go, anger is the least acceptable within the context of everyday society. It's the emotion most likely to cause harm to the self or others when expressed in an uncontrolled way. Those who manage their anger effectively have learned to communicate wants and needs in a non-confrontational manner. A person who finds himself at the mercy of sudden outbursts may eventually see this emotion for the destructive force that it's become. Anger can wear away at relationships with others, as well as take away from a person's sense of self-esteem and confidence.

Communication Styles

• An anger management analysis can assist in identifying what type of communication style is used to express anger. How a person deals with this emotion will determine what type of communication style she uses. People generally fall into one of the three basic communication styles: expressing, suppressing or calming. Expressing anger is done in a constructive way that promotes understanding without offending the other person. Anger is suppressed when it's held in, or ignored completely. Whether or not this style is unhealthy depends on where these feelings are channeled, be it inward or into another activity. Calming entails controlling one's behavior, as well as controlling the physiological responses that accompany anger, like increased heart and breathing rates. However, calming doesn't necessarily provide a way to express what's being felt.

Causes

• While outbursts can be controlled through anger management practice, some people are more prone to feeling this emotion than others. A dysfunctional family background in which communication skills were lacking can make a person more susceptible to emotional outbursts. Genetic or physiological factors can also play a role in cases in which a mother neglects prenatal care practices. Drug use, smoking and poor nutrition can contribute to altered neurological functions in the fetus, resulting in chemical imbalances that persist throughout adulthood. A person's personality type may also predispose him to a low frustration level, making it easier for him to overreact in situations in which change, conflict or unexpected events take place.

Effects

• Anger that's suppressed with no outlet for redirection leaves a person at risk for developing physical ailments over time. With no outlet being provided, emotions turn inward and affect the body's ability to maintain its natural balance. Possible effects can appear in the form of high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and hypertension. Individuals who are prone to emotional outbursts may be using this communication style as a way to cope with everyday stressors. Over time, this behavior can develop into a mental or personality disorder. Depression, anxiety disorders and passive-aggressive personality disorder are a few of the conditions that can develop.

Anger Management Practices

• A thorough analysis of a person's anger management style will provide clues as to how to better control this emotion. There are, however, some general techniques that can be put into practice right away. As outbursts are typically accompanied by quickened heart and breathing rates, learning to relax these responses will assist in maintaining a calm temperament. Individuals who lean toward suppressing their emotions may benefit from identifying situations that arouse anger, to avoid the ongoing buildup of unexpressed emotion. In some cases therapy may be needed to deal with underlying issues, and to develop more constructive ways of coping with stress.