Psychological Management of Anger and Aggression

One of the most common causes of violence against women and children is anger and aggression. There is close relationship among anger, aggression, and violence. Violence is an ever-increasing problem in our society. It is one of our more intractable social ills.

We have experience of anger in everyday life. Anger is a negative, phenomenological (or internal) feeling state associated with special cognitive and perceptual distortions and deficiencies (e.g. errors, injustice), labeling physiological changes and action tendencies to engage in socially constricted and reinforced organized behavioral scripts (Liz-personal contact, 1997). The negative anger, which leads to aggression, causes serious harm to the victim. Anger has three components such as: cognitive, physiological, behavioral.

When people become angry, they feel frustrated (cognitive,) their physiological response is stirred up, i.e. increased heart rate, sweating, increasing blood flow, etc. Then they inflict injury on their own persons or on others (behavioral). Typical episodes of anger are manifested as puns, withdrawal of affection, sulking and so on. Usually, anger has two forms depending on variation in intensity. Mild anger is labeled as agitation or annoyance, whereas strong anger is considered fury or rage. There are so many triggers of anger, such as- frustration, loss, stress, time constraint, failure, lack of support, punishment, mistrust, loss of pride, jealousy, conflict, immoral act, blame etc. Besides clinical symptoms there is anxiety, worry, tension, depression, emotional problem, adjustment problem, separation and so on.

Largely, intense and frequent anger gives rise to negative consequences. Suppressed anger is related to a number of medical conditions including essential hypertension, coronary artery diseases, and cancer. Sometimes anger can lead to unsatisfactory marital, parental, peer or workplace relationship.

Does anger cause aggression? This is a controversial issue, but most psychologists hold that anger is the drive behind aggression. A man hits his wife because he is angry with her. On the other hand, the husband's attack results from instigation to aggression that was generated by an unpleasant event. Basic concept is anger somatic leads to aggression but not always. Aggression has to do with motor behavior that has a deliberate intent to harm, hurt or injure another person or object. It can be instrumental, emotional or done in the absence of any goal or anger. It can be directed at the source of the problem or it can be expressed indirectly. There are many kinds of aggression as predatory, anti- predatory, dominance aggression, sexual aggression, sex related, internal, irritable, emotional aggression etc.

Amygdala is a part of the limbic system in the brain that apparently facilitates aggressive responses. There are some theories on aggression. From biological perspectives, genes are linked to aggressive behavior and are more likely to be transmitted to subsequent generation. Instinct theory suggests that people are naturally competitive and hostile. Freud believed that people need to express hostile and destructive impulses periodically just as they need to eat, drink, and express sexual needs. Kornad Lorenz (1981) proposed that aggression in all animals, human beings included is instinctive. Frustration aggression hypothesis explains that frustration always leads to aggression and aggression is always the consequence of frustration. Frustration produces anger and readiness to aggress. Cognitive views hold that aggravating and painful events trigger unpleasant feelings. These feelings in turn, prompt aggression. One may respond aggressively to a provocation when she or he magnifies the importance of the insult or otherwise stir up feelings of anger. On the other hand, social learning view holds that aggressive behavior is learned through reinforcement. Environment consequences, such as television cartoon, films etc. contribute towards aggressive behavior when children and adults are exposed to murders, beatings sexual assaults just by turning on the TV set. Television violence supplies models of aggressive skills and acquisition of these skills, intern, encourages aggression in children. The probability of aggression increases when the models are similar to the observers (Bandura, 1963). Sears et al. (1957) found that mothers who use severe punishment have more aggressive children than those mothers who do not.

Nowadays, pornography has the harmful effect of creating sexual arousal, which is subsequently transformed into aggressive behavior and violence. Consequently, women and children suffer sexual abuse.

Clinical psychologists have a significant role to play in the management of anger and aggression. But a thorough assessment of the client's anger and aggressive behavior appears to be necessary before initiating treatment. Commonly used assessment procedures are: structured interview, Self Report Measure, SCL-90, MMPI-12, Buss Durkee Hostility Inventory, Reaction Inventory, Novaco Anger Inventory, Anger self report, Spielberger-state Trail Anger Expression Inventory (STAEI), Multidimensional Anger Inventory.

They use many techniques for anger management such as - Rational Emotion therapy, Logo therapy, Personal construct therapy, Cognitive therapy, Relaxation training, Anxiety management technique, Problem solving training, Coping strategies, stress inoculation therapy, Assertion training. However, clinical psychologists follow several techniques for controlling violence against women and children by psychological control in aggressive behavior. They use individual and group intervention. There are many training in individual intervention such as -Relaxation, Self-control, Cognitive, Behavior therapy. Besides, group interventions there are psychological skill training, character education, Values clarification, Moral education, Ultimate life goals, Identity education, Public issues etc. As has been mentioned, anger in individuals is a regular feature.

Therefore, we have nothing to fear as long as we are able to keep our State of anger within controllable limit not allowing it to turn to aggression. Therefore, do not hesitate to seek psychological help.

The writer is a Clinical Psychologist