A Beginner's Guide to Anger Management Techniques

Understanding and controlling anger can be one of the hardest challenges people must face in modern, high-stress society. For many people, failure to effectively process this strong emotion leads to destructive behaviors. In dealing with anger management, medical and mental health professionals are beginning to come up with practical models to help their patients feel better. 

One such anger management paradigm is set forth by Dr. Tony Fiore and Dr. Ari Novick. These mental health professionals recommend that patients first understand the role that stress plays in creating anger. Learning what triggers anger is highly beneficial to most patients.

After discovering the causes behind anger, patients are urged to take control of their own behavior. This can be done in part by changing the inner dialogue that they have with themselves by communicating their feelings in an assertive yet nonaggressive way. 

By making the expectations of themselves and others more realistic, people can avoid making angry outbursts. Finally, people are urged to think things over and remove themselves from an emotionally charged situation, while following a prescribed set of rules.

Psychologists can also be helpful and informative sources of information for learning anger management techniques. Therapists, for instance, help individuals cope with excessive rage through first helping them to recognize that anger has complex roots. Whether it is caused by job stress, poor health, family problems or a spiritual void, anger’s negative effects on a person's life can be minimized through psychotherapy. 

The anger management model by Dr. Fiore and Dr. Novick emphasizes the importance of cultivating inner strength while not hesitating to enlist the help of others. In addition to advice about how people can calm themselves and communicate effectively about feelings, this paradigm recommends relaxation exercises, as well as finding ways to serve others, as the path toward successful anger management. 

In her book 'How to Let Go of Your Mad Baggage,' Lynne Hanka offers a slightly different perspective. She states that we all have choices about what we do with our anger. Because we are human, this emotion is inescapable, but it does not have to cripple us or damage our interpersonal relationships.

No matter how a person chooses to pursue anger management, one fact seems to be universally true: those seeking to address their deep-seeded anger must first recognize that this challenge can be overcome. Fortunately, no one needs to struggle with this strong emotion on their own. The solution lies in accepting responsibility and reaching out for help.

This post is brought to you by Argosy University. Drawing upon our more than 30-year history of granting degrees in professional psychology, Argosy University has developed a curriculum that focuses on interpersonal skills and practical experience alongside academic learning. Because getting a degree is one thing. Succeeding, quite another.