The 11 Types Of Anger
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Feeling angry can be a universal experience. Anger may be described as an instinctive response to a perceived injustice, frustration, or threat. You may have been taught that anger is a negative or unhealthy emotion, but anger can be seen as inherently neutral unless a person responds to it in a destructive way. When you understand how to use your anger in a constructive manner, you may be able to harness it and use it for positive change. A licensed therapist can teach you how to effectively cope with and respond to anger.
Anger management may be more effective when you know the types of anger
Not all types of anger are the same. By understanding which type of anger you are experiencing, you can gain a better idea of why it has arisen and implement strategies to manage it healthily.
Each type of anger may have a different cause. Some forms of anger can be healthy and constructive, but many of them result in unhealthy behavior.
Assertive anger
Assertive anger is generally a constructive form of anger. When you experience this type of anger, you are often able to voice your concerns without being aggressive or confrontational.
Righteous anger
This can be viewed as a subtype of constructive anger. Righteous anger is frequently a response to injustice. It may motivate you to take action and right the wrongs you are seeing. An example of righteous anger could be anger at someone who has mistreated another person.
How to manage these types of anger
Expressing assertive or righteous anger in a calm and respectful way can help you resolve conflict, address injustice, and work toward your goals.
Passive-aggressive anger
You may not initially realize that passive-aggressive anger is a form of anger. It often manifests in small actions, such as sarcastic comments or unconscious acts of frustration. The way you express this anger can be subtle, but over time, passive-aggressive anger can damage both personal and professional relationships.
How to manage passive-aggressive anger
Assertive communication can be critical in helping you manage this type of anger. When you feel frustrated or angry, initiate a conversation with the others involved and share your emotions using “I” statements. Try to focus on working toward solutions instead of placing blame.
Fear-based anger
At times, it may seem easier to be angry than scared. You may also feel angry that you are experiencing fear. Fear-based anger can lead to anxiety and a sense of loss of control, potentially causing you to respond with defensive or aggressive behaviors. You may have witnessed fear-based anger when a child almost runs out into the street in front of a car, and their parent grabs them and yells, “What were you thinking?!”
How to manage fear-based anger
Developing emotional resilience may help you address the fear underlying this type of anger so that you ultimately feel less angry. It can also be helpful to work with a mental health professional who can support you in overcoming both fear and anger.
Pain-based anger
Pain-based anger may be used to hide hurt and sadness. It can also stem from traumatic experiences you’ve had in the past. The way you express this form of anger may be subtle. For example, you may self-sabotage your relationships because you are resentful toward others. When it is addressed in an appropriate way, pain-based anger can lead to personal improvement.
How to manage pain-based anger
If pain-based anger comes from past trauma, you may benefit from working with a therapist to address and process your underlying emotions and develop a plan to move forward. Determining the root of pain-based anger can be vital for managing it effectively.
Chronic anger
For some people, the rush associated with anger can lead to a form of addiction. They may enjoy the power that comes with demonstrating their anger. Chronic anger can also involve an ongoing sense of resentment or frustration. Over time, chronic anger can have a negative impact on your well-being and relationships.
How to manage chronic anger
Chronic anger may stem from long-standing perceived injustices and underlying mental health challenges. It can help to implement stress management techniques and healthy coping strategies so that you can work toward solutions and view your life in a more positive light. Learning anger management techniques can help you diffuse your anger so that you don’t constantly feel mad at the world.
Behavioral anger
A physical expression of anger, behavioral anger rarely has a positive outcome. It is typically aggressive and can even be violent. Behavioral anger can look like punching a wall, throwing things, physically intimidating someone, or even attacking another person. While this kind of anger may provide momentary relief, it often has long-term ramifications and results in a cycle of negative behaviors.
Anger management for behavioral anger
Deep breathing exercises may calm your mind and curb your instincts to physically react when you’re feeling angry. Low-arousal physical activity, such as yoga, can significantly reduce feelings of anger.
Retaliatory anger
As the name suggests, retaliatory anger is usually a response to some sort of confrontation, whether it is verbal or physical. You can also think of it as vengeful anger. Retaliatory anger generally occurs when you experience the urge to “get even” or “make them pay.”
How to manage retaliatory anger
Retaliatory anger tends to be an instinctual response, but with time and practice, you can change the way you respond in these situations. Before retaliating, consider what the outcome may be. By using assertive communication, you may be able to de-escalate the conflict and work toward a resolution.
Overwhelmed anger
You may experience overwhelmed anger when life is especially stressful. This type of anger can be a response to a perceived inability to handle life’s challenges. Overwhelmed anger might lead to a sense of helplessness, frustration, anxiety, and tension. Your heightened emotional state can contribute to physical and emotional distress.
How to manage feelings of overwhelmed anger
Self-care can be a critical component of managing overwhelmed anger. Practice setting healthy boundaries and saying no to obligations you cannot currently handle. Prioritize your mental health by attending therapy and engaging in hobbies that bring you joy. Time management strategies can also help you manage your schedule to prevent a sense of overwhelm.
Verbal anger
The anger you express with your words can be just as damaging as the anger you express with your body. An episode of verbal anger can erode trust and ruin relationships. Frequent episodes of verbal anger may constitute a form of emotional abuse. Verbal anger can involve shouting, ridicule, criticism, and accusations.
How to manage verbal anger
If you are tempted to instantly respond to others with angry comments, you might force yourself to pause. Ask yourself if what you want to say will be helpful or harmful. If it is the latter, think of a way to reframe your comment. Instead of screaming at your roommate, “You are so lazy!” you might say, “It seems like I do the majority of the dishes even though we agreed to split that chore.” Use your words to work toward a solution.
Self-abusive anger
Self-abusive anger is often rooted in shame. It can look like negative self-talk, substance misuse (formerly called substance abuse), self-harm, or disordered eating. Self-abusive anger may also involve deliberate choices to destroy other aspects of your life, such as acting in a hateful manner toward loved ones in order to ruin your relationships and alienate yourself.
Mental health support may be needed for self-abusive anger
Cognitive restructuring techniques may help you reframe the way you think. In cognitive behavioral therapy, you can learn how to transform negative, unhealthy thoughts into positive and productive thoughts.
Volatile anger
Explosive and unpredictable, volatile anger can lead individuals to “snap.” It can occur at a moment's notice and be hard to control.
How to manage volatile anger
If your anger is volatile and unmanageable, you might try to avoid situations where you are prone to feeling angry. When you sense your anger rising, consider stepping away or start breathing deeply to calm yourself. Do what you can to de-escalate yourself in the heat of the moment instead of saying or doing something you might regret.
Professional mental health support may help you manage these feelings
For some people, however, finding the time for therapy may seem impossible. Using an online platform like BetterHelp, you can be matched with a suitable therapist and attend sessions online. You can choose between video, audio, and online chat for each session, which may make it easier to talk about challenging and potentially vulnerable subjects like anger.
In a 2023 study, researchers looked at the effectiveness of online therapy in treating maladaptive anger. After three treatments, participants typically experienced decreased anger expression, anger rumination, and aggression. Those who had higher levels of anger at the beginning of the study generally saw the most significant improvements in their anger.
Takeaway
What are the 5 types of anger?
There may be many types of anger and anger expression may vary based on anger triggers. Each anger style may impact people in different ways, five common types of anger may include:
- Judgmental anger – Also called righteous anger, this is anger that may be rooted in feeling morally superior or better than other people.
- Overwhelmed anger – Anger that may arise when someone feels they cannot cope with excessive stress or emotional demands. This type of anger often builds up from feeling overburdened and can result in expressing anger through emotional outbursts or withdrawal.
- Chronic anger – Sometimes anger or negative feelings may linger or persist over time due to unresolved trauma or a sense of persistent injustice. This type of anger can have negative consequences for mental and physical health, and it may keep a person in a constant state of frustration or resentment.
- Destructive anger – Destructive anger may be an intense form of sudden anger that may occur impulsively and can involve physical aggression or physical outbursts. This violent behavior may be driven by an intense need to release frustration and can lead to feelings of guilt or damage to interpersonal relationships.
- Retaliatory anger – After a person feels like they have been wronged or hurt they may seek revenge or to get even with the other person. This type of anger can be reactive and may escalate conflicts.
Why am I so sensitive to anger?
Sensitivity to anger can stem from various factors, including past experiences, personality traits, or current stress levels. If you have had past encounters with unpredictable or intense anger it may cause you to be more sensitive or impacted by anger in the future. Additionally, other factors including co-occurring mental health conditions, past trauma, or low self-esteem may cause a person to be more sensitive to anger.
Why am I always angry and irritated for no reason?
Feeling constantly angry and irritated, even when there isn’t an obvious cause, can be frustrating and confusing. Here are a few possible reasons why this might happen:
- Chronic stress – Persistent stress can make a person feel irritated or frustrated and may lead to a decrease in the self-awareness required to manage anger.
- Hormonal imbalances – Imbalances in hormones, such as cortisol, can impact mood and increase irritability and anger without an obvious cause. This can make managing anger or managing feelings, like frustration, a challenge.
- Lifestyle factors – Not getting enough sleep, eating an unbalanced diet, or a lack of physical activity can all increase feelings of irritability and stress which can lead to feeling consistently angry.
- Underlying mental health conditions – Conditions like depression and anxiety may cause symptoms of anger, even when there is no trigger for anger present.
- Unresolved trauma – Anger may build up from past trauma or unexpressed emotions from trauma and may be a way to overcome fear of future traumatic events.
Why can't I control my anger?
Struggling to control anger may be related to underlying factors that make emotions feel overwhelming or hard to manage as they happen. These factors may include emotional triggers, challenges with regulating emotions, resentment or unresolved issues, and co-occurring mental health conditions. For a person experiencing challenges with anger management, it may be helpful to connect with mental health professionals who can help build coping mechanisms and improve communication skills.
What are the 4 Ds of anger?
Although everyone gets angry from time to time and anger is a natural emotion there are times when anger can get out of control and may negatively impact a person’s life. The “four D’s” of anger are a tool that can help determine if anger is negatively impacting daily life. Clinically speaking, there may not be an official “four D’s of anger”, however, the four D’s can include:
- Dangerous – Anger that may become dangerous, including physical violence towards others or self, can negatively impact a person’s life and may indicate that anger is out of control.
- Distressing – If anger becomes emotionally distressing or is a source of constant stress in a person’s life it may be a sign that additional support is needed.
- Dysfunctional – Impairment of physical, emotional, or mental functioning may be an indicator that anger is negatively impacting a person’s life.
- Debilitating – Anger that becomes debilitating and negatively impacts a person over a long period may require support through cognitive behavior therapy or other coping strategies to manage.
What is quiet anger called?
Quiet anger is often referred to as passive anger or passive-aggressive anger. This type of anger is usually internalized or expressed subtly rather than openly. People who experience silent anger tend to avoid direct confrontation, it may manifest as silent resentment, withdrawal, sarcasm, or indirect behaviors that hint at anger without directly addressing it.
What is the highest form of anger called?
Although there may be many ways of categorizing anger, the highest form of anger may often be referred to as rage. Rage may go beyond typical frustration or irritation and may lead to a loss of control and impulsive behaviors. Unlike typical anger, rage may often be difficult to manage and may impair judgment, which can result in potentially harmful behavior toward oneself or others.
What is the most harmful type of anger?
Each type of anger can be harmful in different ways, however, destructive anger may be considered the most harmful type of anger. Destructive anger may be characterized by intense expressions of anger that may be aimed at destroying a person’s happiness or self-esteem. This type of anger can lead to acts of physical or verbal aggression which can negatively impact interpersonal relationships.
What are 5 underlying feelings of anger?
Anger may often be a secondary emotion that occurs in relation to other feelings. Five underlying feelings of anger may include:
- Fear – When we feel threatened or anxious, anger can act as a protective response to mask vulnerability and assert control.
- Frustration – Persistent obstacles or unmet needs can lead to frustration, which often escalates into anger when goals feel blocked or out of reach.
- Sadness or pain – Emotional pain or sadness, whether from rejection, betrayal, or disappointment, may turn into anger as a way to cope with the pain.
- Injustice – Experiencing an injustice, whether real or not, may cause feelings of anger as a person feels frustrated over their lack of control in a situation.
- Insecurity – Feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt can surface as anger when people feel criticized or judged, either by themselves or others.
What are the 5 stages of anger issues?
The five stages of anger issues may follow a progression from initial feelings of frustration to more intense and potentially harmful expressions of anger. Although each person may experience anger differently, the five stages may include:
- Trigger – In the initial stage an event or action may trigger anger. These may vary widely and can include perceived slights or unmet expectations.
- Escalation – During escalation anger over the initial trigger may build and a person may begin to experience physical symptoms such as increased heart rate or rapid breathing.
- Crisis – At the peak stage, a person may feel intense anger which may become uncontrollable and can lead to emotional or physical outbursts.
- Recovery – After the peak, the individual’s body and emotions may begin to calm down. This is a cooling-off period where anger levels gradually decrease, though residual frustration or irritability may linger.
- Reflection – After the feelings of anger have subsided people may feel guilt or remorse over their reactions. This may also be a time for reflection on what caused them to feel angry and may be an opportunity to implement changes to manage anger in the future.
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