Anger-Basic Emotion

Anger is a basic emotion that emerges in as early as the first few months of life. It is linked to the fight or flight stress response. Therefore the sympathetic nervous system is activated. Most people, most times, experience anger as an emotion that is aversive. Although some people can experience anger as something positive, associating it with power, righteousness, control, or justice. Therefore you can have people who do not like experiencing anger who look for help. There are also people who experience the power and righteousness, and like it, and therefore find themselves behaving in ways when angry that they believe, at least at the time, are correct and appropriate. Although, others, whether loved ones, friends, employers, employees, or law enforcement believe to be in appropriate or unlawful. That is when social or legal sanctioning may take place. These represent two very different kinds of people who both may find themselves in anger management. One group works hard to avoid feeling angry because they do not like the feeling, and the other perhaps liking the feeling, and not wanting to give it up, but working to not behave in ways that lead to negative social or legal consequences.

For an updated, more in-depth look at this topic, see What You Need To Know About Anger Management Classes.