User:Oblivain

Anger is part of the fight/flight brain response to the perceived threat of pain. When a person makes the cognitive choice to take action to immediately stop the threatening/painful behavior of another (person or organization, or any outside force) anger (as opposed to fear) becomes the predominant feeling, with behavioral, cognitive and physiological correlates. In the animal kingdom, when physically threatened, animals will make loud sounds, attempt to look physically larger, bare their teeth, and stare. Humans behave in a similar manner when a perception of potential pain occurs, and the decision to oppose (rather than flee) occurs. Anger is a behavioral pattern designed to communicate "Stop your behavior immediately, it is harmful or threatening- If you don't, violence towards you may follow." Rarely (if ever) does a physical altercation occur without the prior expression of anger by at least one of the participants. In the world of humans, because of our unique use of codified symbols and sounds -written and spoken language, pain or the threat of pain can be perceived from written and verbal sources (e.g. written threats, verbal insults). We may not perceive an immediate physical threat, but pain (or the threat of pain) thus can be felt psychologically and thus the threat of psychological harm is real. Therefore anger can arise without (1) A direct physical threat (2) An actual other person present. Because of our capacity to imagine the distant future, the threat of pain can also arise purely from our imagination, and not be based on anything happening in the immediate present. In humans anger often arises when another human being is perceived to violate expected behavioral norms related to social survival (for example, not receiving 'respect' - without which a person may feel physically vulnerable). These violations break social or interpersonal "safety rules," or are ethical/legal violations. Humans often experience anger empathetically. For example, after reading about others being treated injustly, one may experience anger, even though she/he is not the victim. Dealing with anger There are various strategies for dealing with anger. Some address individual episodes of anger, and others address an on-going tendency toward anger. Dealing with each instance of anger represents a choice. The basic alternatives are:[8] •	Respond with hostile action, including overt violence •	Respond with hostile inaction, such as withdrawing or stonewalling •	Initiate a dominance contest •	Harbor resentment •	Work to better understand and constructively resolve the issue Other strategies address on-going tendencies toward anger. In the 1960s and 1970s, theories about dealing with anger in a therapeutic process were based upon expressing the feelings through action. This ranged from pillow hitting strategies to radical and extreme therapies such as scream therapy. Scream therapy is a treatment in which patients stand in a room and simply scream for hours on end, supposedly relieving the tension or feelings spawned from the initial anger. However, these techniques actually do nothing to prevent anger from taking hold. Research in scream therapy has shown that patients who have undergone this treatment actually suffer from increased anger management problems.[citation needed] This is understandable since modern research into neuroplasticity shows that the more we exercise a brain area (the areas involved with anger in this example) the more efficient that area becomes.[citation needed] Modern therapies for anger involve restructuring thoughts and beliefs in order to bring about a causal reduction in anger. This therapy often comes within the schools of CBT (or cognitive behavioural therapy) or other modern schools such as REBT (or rational emotional behavioural therapy). Research shows that people who suffer from excessive anger often harbor irrational thoughts and beliefs towards negativity. It has been shown that with therapy by a trained professional, individuals can bring their anger to manageable levels.[9] In order for a cathartic effect to occur, the source of the anger must be damaged or destroyed by the aggrieved party.