The question that is asked by many is, "How do psychologists explain anger?" And to find an answer we look at how anger research even began. At the end of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, argued that individuals are born with an innate aggressive instinct, and when this is blocked, they have a natural urge to become hostile or angry. Since that time, many of Freud's ideas have been proven incorrect. In 1988, the American Psychological Association and the American Anthropological Association reviewed all the research and concluded that we are not genetically predisposed to violence, nor can it be scientifically related to natural evolutionary processes. ...view middle of the document...
Although anger is an emotion that tends to be impulsevly acted upon, it is fueled by the fact that other emotions have to be experienced. These emotions and feelings are then harboured for some time until that peak of anger we all know starts to arise. There is usually a triggering event or events from which the anger originates. Most often, there are a number of unresolved experiences prior to the triggering events where these emotions are generated that are also involved. The experiences may be centered on a theme or general situation.People who chronically suppress their anger carry certain characteristics to their personality. They tend to have at least one addictive behavior, such as gambling, drinking, drugs, etc. They tend to be moody and cope with their moodiness by trying to feel happy, and also try to be around other people who they believe are happy. They try to keep their inner struggle with anger out of their awareness, as well as away from other people's awareness. Some people develop the tendecny to hunger for narcotics because it feels good in spite of problems that come later. Some people learn to savor, collect and swim in anger because of r...
