Aspects of anger

Problem anger is frequent, intense and long-lasting. The experience of anger involves a person’s thoughts, emotions, physical responses and behaviours.

Thoughts

Thoughts can be irrational or exaggerated. When angry, people are more likely to blame others, and not see themselves as playing a role in the situation. Thoughts might also focus on putting the other person down, or wanting to get revenge.⁴

Emotions

Anger also involves an emotional response related to the person’s thoughts and beliefs about a situation. It can range from mild annoyance or irritation to more extreme feelings of rage or fury.⁴

Physical responses

The sympathetic nervous system is activated during anger, raising the heart rate, increasing muscle tension and sometimes creating the sensation of feeling hot.⁴ Chemicals in the brain which help control mood, sleep, appetite, learning, and memory, are also thought to be involved in our expressions and experience of anger and, as a result, these aspects of our behaviour can be negatively affected.¹¹

Behaviours

Problem anger is associated with a range of negative behaviours, particularly aggression and violence, which cause further difficulties for the person and their relationships, including family violence, workplace violence, bullying and harassment.^{4, 6, 12-14} Road rage, assault and substance-use issues have also been associated with problem anger.^{6, 15, 16}