Course Description

Welcome to the Anger Management module. Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” We would like to add a third item to his list: anger. Anger can be an incredibly damaging force, costing people their jobs, personal relationships, and even their lives when it gets out of hand. However, since everyone experiences anger, it is important to have constructive approaches to manage it effectively.

This workshop will help teach participants how to identify their anger triggers and what to do when their angry.

Course Objectives

Research has consistently demonstrated that when clear goals are associated with learning that the learning occurs more easily and rapidly. With that in mind, let’s review our goals for today.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

•       Understand anger dynamics in terms of the anger cycle and the fight or flight theory.
•       Know common anger myths and their factual refutations.
•       Know the helpful and unhelpful ways of dealing with anger.
•       Know techniques in controlling anger, particular reading anger warning signs, using coping thoughts, exercising relaxation techniques and blowing off steam.
•       Understand the difference between objective and subjective language.
•       Know tips in identifying the problem.
•       Express a feeling or position using I-messages.
•       Know skills and techniques in making a disagreement constructive, including effective negotiation and solution-building.
•       Reflect on one’s hot buttons and personal anger dynamics.
•       Know alter, avoid and, accept ways of responding to an anger-provoking situation.
•       Understand the energy curve and how it can help in responding to someone else’s anger.
•       Learn and practice de-escalation techniques.
•       Gain an integrated view of anger management and how it can be best practiced.

Pre-Assignment Review

As a pre-assignment, we ask you to think of a situation where you had experienced anger, preferably one that no longer affects you currently.

We also ask you to recall the exact symptoms you experienced, and the way you responded to the symptoms. The following guide questions can help during this process:

During your anger incident,

1.What symptoms did you experience?

• • •     Physically?
    •     Mentally?
    •     Emotionally?
    •     Behaviorally?

2.What was your response to your anger symptoms?

3.Was your response helpful? If yes, in what way was it helpful? If your response was not helpful, in what way was it unhelpful?

Take a moment to review your responses, and keep them in mind during the workshop, as they can assist in grounding the ideas to be presented into your practical lives.

Module Two: Understanding Anger

Before we discuss specific anger management strategies, it is helpful to first understand the nature of anger. While most are familiar with this emotion, not everyone is aware of its underlying dynamics. In this module, we will discuss the cycle of anger, the fight or flight response, and common myths about anger.

The Cycle of Anger

Anger is a natural emotion that usually stems from perceived threat or loss. It’s a pervasive emotion; it affects our body, thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Anger is often described in terms of its intensity, frequency, duration, threshold, and expression.

Anger typically follows a predictable pattern: a cycle. Understanding the cycle of anger can help us understand our own anger reactions, and those of others. It can also help us in considering the most appropriate response.

Illustrated below are the five phases of the anger cycle: trigger, escalation, crisis, recovery, and depression.

1.   The Trigger Phase

The trigger phase happens when we perceive a threat or loss, and our body prepares to respond. In this phase, there is a subtle change from an individual’s normal/ adaptive state into his stressed state. Anger triggers differ from person to person, and can come from both the environment or from our thought processes.

2.   The Escalation Phase

In the escalation phase, there is the progressive appearance of the anger response. In this phase, our body prepares for a crisis after perceiving the trigger. This preparation is mostly physical, and is manifested through symptoms like rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and raised blood pressure. Once the escalation phase is reached there is less chance of calming down, as this is the phase where the body prepares for fight or flight (to be discussed later).

3.   The Crisis Phase

As previously mentioned, the escalation phase is progressive, and it is in the crisis phase that the anger reaction reaches its peak. In the crisis phase our body is on full alert, prepared to take action in response to the trigger. During this phase, logic and rationality may be limited, if not impaired because the anger instinct takes over. In extreme cases, the crisis phase means that a person may be a serious danger to himself or to other people.

4.   The Recovery Phase

The recovery phase happens when the anger has been spent, or at least controlled, and there is now a steady return to a person’s normal/ adaptive state. In this stage, reasoning and awareness of one’s self returns. If the right intervention is applied, the return to normalcy progresses smoothly. However, an inappropriate intervention can re-ignite the anger and serve as a new trigger.

5.   The Depression Phase

The depression phase marks a return to a person’s normal/ adaptive ways. Physically, this stage marks below normal vital signs, such as heart rate, so that the body can recover equilibrium. A person’s full use of his faculties return at this point, and the new awareness helps a person assess what just occurred. Consequently, this stage may be marked by embarrassment, guilt, regret, and or depression.

After the depression phase is a return to a normal or adaptive phase. A new trigger, however, can start the entire cycle all over again.

Below is an example of a person going through the five stages of the anger cycle.

Josephine came home from work to see dirty plates left in the sink (trigger phase). She started to wash them, but as she was doing so she kept thinking about how inconsiderate her children are for not cleaning after themselves. She was already tired from work and does not need the extra chore. She felt the heat in her neck and the tremble in her hands as she’s washing the dishes (escalation phase).

Feeling like she can’t keep it to herself any longer, she stormed up the room to confront her kids. In a raised voice, she asked them how difficult could it be to wash the dishes. She told them that they are getting punished for their lack of responsibility (crisis phase).

Having gotten the words out, she felt calmer, and her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. She saw that her kids are busy with homework when she had interrupted them. She was also better able to hear their reasoning, as they apologized (recovery phase).

Josephine regretted yelling at her children and told them that she’s simply tired and it’s not their fault (depression phase).

NOTE: How long each phase lasts differ from person to person. Some people also skip certain phases, or else they go through them privately and/ or unconsciously.