Irrational Anger: Causes

We all experience this when we cannot get what we want. “This” is a feeling of deep frustration – an intense emotion that we call “anger.”

We express our anger in different ways. Others tackle their anger in a positive way but some express it in the wrong way. Anger is not a problem. The problem lies in the way we manage it.

Anger is a healthy human emotion. If a person knows how to manage his anger the right way, there’s no way anger can turn into a problem for a person and his family. On the other hand, if a person “mismanages” his anger, then various problems are certain to occur. Inappropriate expression of anger may result to various physical, social, emotional, and legal problems. This is the reason why people who have a problem with managing their anger – especially irrational anger – should subject themselves to treatment procedures like counseling.

Understanding Anger

Anger affects all aspect of a person’s life. Anger triggers physical changes in the body which includes increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, increased muscle tension, hyperventilation, and increased body temperature. These changes in the body are due to the increased production of adrenalin (epinephrine and norepinephrine) which stimulates the sympathetic nervous system.

Anger is an emotional state that has various levels or degrees. It can range from mild irritation to intense anger. It can also affect a person’s cognitive perception or views. Thus, a person who is angry is unable to think straight.

To have a better understanding of what anger is all about, we should look at anger in a constructive way. Before a person experiences anger, there must be an external (someone or something) or internal stimuli (heartaches or emotional wounds). Prior to the angry state, the person recognizes his cognitive and emotional status. Next, he analyzes the external or internal stimuli, after which he looks for a way of coping with it. Thus is the way by which a person typically feels and expresses anger.

Factors that Influence Anger

The things that can make a person angry and the way he manages his anger can be influenced by internal and external factors. The following are some of the external and internal factors that affect a person’s tendency towards irrational anger.

External Factors

External factors have influence in a person’s tendency to be irrationally angry. Alcoholism and drug abuse, for instance, can make a person more prone to irrational anger. That is, an alcoholic or a drug addict is much more likely to have fits of irrational anger than someone else who has no history of substance abuse. Alcohol and drugs harm the brain and, in the long run, they can do so much harm that the person is rendered unable to properly process the information and other stimuli that he senses from his environment. Wrong interpretation, in turn, can lead to irrational anger. It is called irrational anger in this case because it is, in fact, based on the wrong premise.

Stress and pressure can also influence a person’s tendency to become irrationally angry. A person who is under a lot of pressure or stress usually has very low tolerance. This person can become prone to irrational anger.

The bad examples set by role models can also be another external factor. If someone grows up in a family or community where the older people – i.e. the role models – have managed their anger badly, this person can become prone to irrational anger later on.

Internal Factors

There are also internal factors that influence how a person processes information and thus his susceptibility to irrational anger. In other words, the way someone perceives events, circumstances, other people, and his life influences a person’s anger response and reaction mechanisms. Of course, these perceptions are, oftentimes, heavily influenced by external factors; environmental factors actually help shape a person’s perceptions. In any case, someone whose own perceptions (i.e. cognitive maps) are warped is more prone to irrational anger than someone who has a more positive view of life.

Thus, those who tend to react negatively to normal events as well as the things that other people say – those who assume that other people and certain life events are always in conflict with their ideologies, desires and endeavors – are predisposed towards irrational anger. They use emotional reasoning instead of logical reasoning so they can be very dysfunctional. They don’t see both sides of the coin. They only follow what they feel and forget about accurate information and reality.

Some people who have a distinctly negative view of reality will usually view challenges as insurmountable hindrances to their aspirations. They begin to feel that these hindrances were deliberately placed in their path to frustrate their ambitions or desires. Problems are a natural part of reality and life. When someone loses sight of this fact, he is setting himself up for severe frustration and, thus, irrational anger.

Physical and emotional pain can also make a person prone to irrational anger. If one feels powerless against all his pain, his patience or tolerance will soon be eroded and he will start becoming frustrated and angry.

Psychological problems like suppressed anger, past experiences of abuse and betrayal, loss, grief, and humiliation can cause anger-related problems. Psychological instability (psychological disorders) can also cause such problems.

Outcomes of Anger

As mentioned earlier, anger is a healthy emotion. But if anger is not properly managed it can lead to serious problems.

Anger can affect the functions of the body. It can lead to hypertension, stress ulcers and headache. Anger has physiological manifestations. When someone is always angry – and severely angry at that – his body will become ravaged.

Irrational anger can also lead to mental disorders like depression and nervous breakdowns. Anger can trigger depression (manifested by severe loneliness, loss of motivation and tendency to harm oneself). Many medical professionals believe that depression is, in fact, caused by suppressed anger. Since people experience big frustrations, they redirect their anger inwards. They then feel sad and believe themselves to be powerless.

Anger can also lead to obsession, phobias and other forms of addiction. Furthermore, anger can cause manic attacks. Since people with great sentiments cannot express their anger in a healthy way, they let it out through destructive activities such as hurting others, harming themselves and destroying property. Sometimes manic activities reach their peak, and this can lead to bipolar disorder.