Profiles of Anger
 

Anger is a protective mechanism against a real or perceived loss of power.
It energizes people to take needed action. However, many people have
anger that works against them. Although these people are often said to
have “bad tempers,” this term is far too general and does little to further the
understanding of destructive anger. The following profiles of people who
have difficulty with anger suggest different treatment approaches. Although
types overlap, pick the one that best describes you or your loved ones.
Finally, examine the explosive temperament that may underlie all the others.

DEFIANCE

Defiant people are irresponsible, impulsive, reckless, dishonest, unfaithful,
unlawful, self-centered, or violent. They may see themselves in others and
be jealous and on guard.

• Cause: Their basic needs may not have been met in the first two
  years of life, or caregivers may have anticipated needs before any
  frustration was experienced.

• Effects: They never bonded with nor developed trust in caretakers,
  causing rejection of authority and lack of internalized controls. Other
  people are considered possessions, and relationships serve to
  achieve some end (sex, money, or power).

• Anger: Accumulated rage from early unmet needs can be triggered
  any time or on anyone due to frustration or not getting their way.

• Treatment: Because they don’t care about others’ feelings or rules,
  they will have little desire to change unless there is legal intervention.

HYPERACTIVITY

Hyperactive people can be restless, distractible, moody, underachieving,
and disorganized and have difficulty completing tasks. Poor impulse control
can lead to legal problems.

• Cause: The frontal (thinking) cortex does not receive enough
  stimulation from the lower area of the brain, possibly causing self-
  stimulation through constant activity. “Sluggish” frontal lobes may
  also have difficulty inhibiting incoming stimuli, creating the effect of
  attending to everything.

• Effects: Continual activity and problems focusing creates an
  abundance of disturbing triggers and difficulty moderating reactions
  to them.

• Anger: Outbursts may be frightening but are usually short-lived.

• Treatment: Stimulants and some antidepressants can be very
  helpful, along with learning anger management techniques.

HYPOMANIA AND PMS

Hypo(mild)mania and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) can cause people to
have episodic anger. The “highs” of hypomania are more intense and
inconsistent than overenergy of hyperactivity and can be followed by “lows”
in which energy vanishes.

• Cause: Hypomania may be due to poor regulation of
  neurotransmitters that excite the brain. During PMS, fluid retention
  may put pressure on the brain.

• Effects: Increased excitability (and anger) of hypomania can last days
  or weeks. PMS anger begins 2–10 days before menses and stops
  shortly afterwards.

• Anger: In extreme cases, violence can occur. As people become
  more manic, hostility and paranoia increase. During PMS, women can
  be keyed up and explosive.

• Treatment: Mania is highly responsive to mood-stabilizing medication
  that can eliminate anger problems. Antidepressants and hormone
  treatment can help PMS.

ERRATIC PERSONALITIES

Erratic people have intense or stormy relationships with many people; often
feel empty and bored; are uncertain about abilities, worthiness, or desires;
have rapid and radical shifts in moods; and are impulsive in ways that can
be self-damaging.

• Cause: Parents may have failed to meet needs for support or
  autonomy.

• Effects: They alternate between fears of suffocation and
  abandonment, cannot deal with mixed emotions, and see people as
  all good or all bad.

• Anger: Outbursts can be unpredictable and out of proportion to
  trigger events. They may be fueled by fears of abandonment or
  control, disappointment in others’ inability to live up to idealizations,
  and feelings of victimization.

• Treatment: Mood stabilizers and antidepressants may help. Anger
  management techniques can be learned through considerable
  repetition over time.

HYPERSENSITIVE PERSONALITIES

Inflated, hypersensitive people feel self-important and entitled to special
treatment; exaggerate their achievements; seek constant attention or
admiration; and have difficulty understanding others’ feelings.

• Cause: They may have had parents who were overindulgent, failed
  to set limits, or saw children as an extension of themselves and only
  valued them for their abilities.

• Effects: They must be all good to keep from feeling all bad. They can
  swing from feeling superior, powerful, and smug to feeling worthless,
  incompetent, and empty.

• Anger: Rage is a means to avoid feeling shame and humiliation from
  criticism and absence of complete approval from others. They may
  hold long grudges.

• Treatment: They may be motivated to learn anger control techniques
  during crises when they are in jeopardy of losing significant others or
  jobs that supply self-esteem.

PERFECTIONISTIC PERSONALITIES

Perfectionists can be preoccupied with details, rules, and order; inflexible
about matters of morality and cleanliness; and insist that others submit to
their way of doing things.

• Cause: They may be biochemically predisposed to feeling
  displeasure, or could have had critical parents with similar unrealistic
  standards.

• Effects: They can swing from feeling competent and in control to
  feeling vulnerable and unsettled when things aren’t “right.”

• Anger: Frequent outbursts can happen when others do not comply
  with their efforts to control. They may be easier on people who aren’t
  “extensions” of themselves.

• Treatment: Antidepressants and mood stabilizers can sometimes
  help. Their high standards justify their anger and they may seek help
  only in a crisis.

EXPLOSIVE TEMPERAMENT

Explosive people have temperaments that can be extroverted, bold,
passionate, intense, sensuous, energetic, lively, critical, complaining, and
outspoken.

• Cause: A lack of the enzyme MAO may cause underregulation of
  neurotransmitters that respond to incoming stimuli. Too much
  testosterone may cause aggression.

• Effects: They can be very reactive to environmental stimuli, whether
  with positive feelings of passion or negative feelings of annoyance.

• Anger: They are excitable about things others find trivial and may
  have trouble calming down or recognizing the source of their anger.

• Treatment: Antidepressants that balance the function of different
  neurotransmitters and mood stabilizers that reduce brain excitability
  can be enormously helpful. However, medication is not always
  needed to master anger management techniques.