About Anger Management Classes

Anger management classes originated to help people control their anger responses. The classes are designed for various purposes including teaching people to control their anger, understand what anger is and how to handle anger triggers, according to the Mayo Clinic. These classes are used as a rehabilitation tool for violent criminals as well as a teaching instrument for ordinary citizens who have trouble managing anger.

What are Anger Management Classes?

• Anger management attempts to teach people to understand and control their emotional reactions. According to the American Psychological Association, the objective behind anger management is to decrease the emotional feelings and physiological stimulation created by anger. Therefore, classes attempt to help people recognize their own anger instigators and find more-appropriate ways to deal with them.

Types

• There are two main types of anger management classes. Group classes usually have several to a dozen people attending instructor-led classes that focus on controlling and eliminating angry eruptions. Online classes are also available and may offer video lectures and other Web-based training tools.

Who Takes Them?

• Anger management classes are often used in prisons for certain types of offenders, such as the program CALM (Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it) which has been accredited for use in Britain's National Probation Service. People who commit crimes that appear to be related to uncontrollable anger are generally assigned to anger management classes inside and outside of prison. Such offenders might include rapists, stalkers, murderers, domestic abusers and any other violent criminal.
  However, the criminal population in no way embodies all the people who take anger management classes. Businesses, schools and other institutions use anger management classes to prevent employees and students from angry outbursts. According to Indiana University, anger management classes in schools gives students tools to manage their aggression so that hostile conflicts are much less likely.

Strategies

• Anger management classes focus on an assortment of methods to help people handle their emotions. Instructors might teach relaxation techniques to calm anger and aggression. Cognitive restructuring emphasizes changing the way people think in certain instances. Other topics covered may include problem solving, improved communication and finding ways to change an angry environment.

Benefits

• Anger management classes boast an array of benefits to the learner. Due to the potential outcomes that result from angry outbursts, anger management can alleviate many negative confrontations. According to the Mayo Clinic, anger can have adverse health effects including headaches, high blood pressure, digestive challenges and problems with sleep. Some prison systems, such as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, have implemented programs to teach inmates to control their anger.