Anger is a particularly powerful emotion that can be expressed in many ways. Mental health professionals have identified more than ten different types of anger that people may experience. If you are having a hard time understanding why you are so angry, you are not alone. A recent survey reported that amazing 84% Many Americans think we are angrier today than we were a generation ago.
Knowing what kind of anger you’re feeling can help you learn ways to properly manage and express emotions, without risking damage to your health and relationships.
Read on to learn more about the different types of anger, and to see what you can do to control each one.
1. Resolute anger
Assertive anger, considered a constructive type of anger, can be beneficial because it can motivate people to make positive changes in their lives. This is anger that expresses itself in terms such as “It makes me angry when…” rather than throwing tantrums, screaming, or resorting to physical violence.
Advice to manage: This is the only constructive type of rage on our list. Keep doing what you’re doing, and express your anger in a healthy, non-confrontational way.
2. Behavioral anger
Behavioral anger is anger that jumps from emotional to physical boundaries. This type of anger is an impulsiveness and can lead to someone hitting a wall, throwing something, or worse yet, hitting another person.
Tip to manage it: Cognitive behavioral therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be very effective in helping people with behavioral anger. A therapist can help you learn new skills to control your anger. Additionally, being able to recognize the signs of an impending explosion can help you avoid losing control in the future.
3. Chronic anger
Chronic anger, as the name implies, is a low level of anger that constantly runs below the surface of a person’s other feelings. It can manifest itself in the forms of frustration, resentment or irritation.
Chronic anger can have an impact on our physical health. Stress, as we know, can lower our immune system making us susceptible to disease. Chronic anger puts a tremendous strain on our bodies and can predispose us to chronic diseases. It’s important to get the help you need by engaging in therapy.”
Tip to manage it: Since chronic anger has deep roots, psychotherapy is recommended to control this type of anger. positive mental health diary Meditation can also be helpful strategies you may want to try.
4. Destructive anger
Destructive anger can be described as a reinforced version of behavioral anger. It is a very dangerous type because, in addition to being potentially violent, destructive anger expresses itself as intense hatred, even in cases where it may not be justified.
“Destructive anger can turn into violent behavior toward another person or group. This anger can fuel dangerous behaviors and should not be ignored or minimized. Therapy can help address this type of anger.”
Tip to manage it: This is another of several types of anger problems where you can benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy. You can also focus on learning strategies to identify triggers and signs of impending attacks.
5. Moral/judgmental anger
Moral or angry anger is sometimes called righteous anger. This type of anger stems from a real injustice or injustice against you or someone else. It can also be a moral defect observed in another person. While a person experiencing this type of anger may think it is justified to feel as it is, this type of anger can also be isolating.
Tip to manage it: It’s hard to recognize moral/vengeful anger in yourself. Being honest about the root of your feelings can help. While this type of anger is not as destructive as many other types of anger disorders, it can alienate those around you.
6. Rage overwhelmed
This type of anger is something that builds up over time when a person has no way of expressing themselves when anger strikes. Excessive anger can be very harmful to a person’s mental health and can cause them to suddenly explode into anger when the burden becomes too great.
Tip to manage it: One of the best ways to deal with this type of anger is to take good care of yourself. You are less likely feel tired When you get a good night’s sleep, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet. Plus, give yourself permission to not be perfect. none of us. This will relieve some of the stress you may be experiencing. Recognizing the triggers of anger and controlling your exposure to them can also help with this type of anger.
7. Passive aggressive anger
Passive aggressive anger is a type of avoidant anger. People with this type of anger show their feelings in ways other than confrontational, such as sarcasm, a deliberate lack of response, or negative-aggressive comments.
Tip to manage it: Control your passive-aggressive anger by exploring your fear of confrontation and improving your communication skills.
8. Vengeful Rage
This type of anger includes criticism and a desire to harm the person who hurt you, whether the harm is real or perceived. Revenge can be verbal, emotional, or physical. Although revenge may seem fair in your mind and make you feel better at first, it is almost always harmful to any relationship.
Tip to manage it: The best way to overcome vengeful anger is to train yourself to stop and think before you act. This could mean imposing a “wait 24 hours” rule before sending that angry email or confronting a family member who has wronged or upset you.
9. Self anger
Self-harming anger is usually associated with shame and negative thoughts. People with this type of anger may internalize and release what they are feeling in ways that are harmful to themselves, such as drug or alcohol abuse, unhealthy eating (or not eating), or negative self-talk.
Tip to manage it: anger treatmentCognitive behavioral therapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy, is recommended to combat self-harming anger. Another helpful coping strategy you can try is to meditate and recite positive affirmations to get rid of negative thought patterns.
10. Silent Fury
People with silent anger tend to keep the things that annoy them inside. They often don’t express their feelings when they first feel them. These are the people who kiss you at the grocery line or the partner who gives you the “side eye” at dinner. This is a classic type of “if you don’t know what I did, I won’t tell you” type of anger.
Tip to manage it: Silent anger is similar to passive-aggressive anger in that it does not express itself directly. As with this type of anger, improving your communication skills and increasing your self-awareness will help you learn how to manage your silent anger.
11. Verbal anger
Verbal anger, as the name implies, is anger that explodes in a verbal exchange and usually includes yelling, ridicule, and/or criticism. This type of anger is one of the most common types of anger disorders, and it can be abusive and damage a person’s relationships if it continues unchecked.
Tip to manage it: Control this verbal anger by teaching yourself to take a breath (and then another) before responding to someone who has angered you. Learn to respond using assertive anger techniques (see point #1).
12. Volatile Rage
People with volatile anger move into a violent rage state without warning. These episodes can be triggered by small annoyances or larger frustrations. This anger can manifest in throwing things, yelling, yelling, and/or physical aggression.
Tip to manage it: Control your volatile anger by writing a diary and writing down what you are angry about. It’s also helpful to work out any physical signs that a volatile outburst is imminent and to learn how to effectively release anger if one does occur.
13. Deliberate anger
Intentional anger is largely directed and designed to hurt the person who offended you. Although it may be instinctive, this type of anger is rarely constructive and can seriously damage relationships.
Tip to manage it: As with vengeful anger, it is wise to wait a while to let that anger fade before acting. You can use a journal to vent your anger without directing it to someone else.
14. Addictive / habitual rage
This type of anger is related to the “high” level of adrenaline/dopamine that some people feel when they are very angry. You can actually become addicted to this feeling and consciously or subconsciously seek out situations that are likely to make you angry.
Tip to manage it: Recognizing this addictive behavior is the first step to managing addictive/habitual anger. It may take the intervention of a friend or family member to realize the devastating cycle you are in. In some cases, courses of anger management and medication may be required.
Understand your anger and work through it
Anger of any kind, if left unresolved, can harm your mental health and relationships, especially when it develops into joked anger. If anger is left to fester, it can also lead to chronic health problems. Working with a therapist can help you identify the type or types of anger disorders you feel, what causes anger, and teach you skills for dealing with anger.
If you are looking for help identifying or controlling feelings of anger, you may want to consider treatment if the above self-advice does not prove effective. Online therapy can be an easy way to start talking to someone. Talkspace is a file Online therapy A platform that makes treatment convenient, accessible and affordable. With Talkspace Wizard, you can learn effective techniques to overcome any of your anger issues.
Sources:
1. Hensley S. Poll: Americans say we are angrier than a generation ago. Npr.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/26/735757156/poll-americans-say-were-angrier-than-a-generation-ago Published 2019. Accessed July 3, 2022.
Talkspace articles are written by experienced people Contributors to mental health; They are rooted in scientific research and evidence-based practices. Articles are extensively reviewed by our team of clinical experts (therapists and psychiatrists from various specialties) to ensure that the content is accurate and on par with current industry standards.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the latest, most valuable and objective information on topics related to mental health in order to help readers make informed decisions.
Articles contain trusted external sources that are either directly linked to the text or are listed below to take readers directly to the source.
Discussion about this post