Control and Anger, Part II

General Causes of Anger Part II
Please read Part I on this same subject before reading
this article.
Here are some possible suspects, by category:
1) Immaturity. Are you impulsive and want things NOW?
Are you used to getting your own way? Were you spoiled as
a child and/or are you spoiled now? Do you function as if
you are the center of the universe? These are questions that
address your level of maturity, compared not only to others in
your immediate family, but to the broader humanity, particularly
those your age.
2) Mental Illness. Are you compromised by or suffer from
anxiety? This category includes panic attacks, phobias,
Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD) or Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), to name the major ones. How about a mood
disorder? These include Dysthymia, Major Depression, Cyclothymia
or Bipolar Illness, again, to name the major ones. Each of these
diagnoses potentially spells trouble for anger management.

3) Physical Illness. Do you have any physical problem that causes
you pain? This could include anything, but the longer-term pain
disorders include Fibromyalgia, Shingles, Arthritis and any of the
Chronic Fatigue Syndromes. Chronic illnesses that are serious and
"don't go away" reek havoc on internal controls of any feeling,
especially anger. Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, and
Cancer are other examples. Literally there are thousands of
diseases that can compromise one's ability to maintain psychological
equilibrium.
4) Personality Disorder. Often also referred to as "Character"
Disorders, this category is about core levels of behavioral training
and integration that fall short of behavioral and other developmental
norms. Thought of another way, personality disorders are about not
learning appropriate values and behaviors in relations to internal
controls, and in relation to other's experiences and rights. Examples
are: Antisocial, Borderline or Narcissistic Personalities. Other
types are Impulsive, Obsessive-Compulsive and Paranoid, to name some.
Personality disordered people are usually self-centered and often
impulsive, or out of control of their feelings. Their genuine
empathy or caring for others probably is low. In some ways, they
appear to be similar to impulsive, immature and mood disordered types.
The differences are in extent and depth of symptoms and whether the
symptoms are chronic enough and disruptive to life enough to warrant
special description, other than what was described above. One very
key concept that differentiates character disorders from forms of
mental illness is the quantity of and style of acting out on others.
This is one of the more difficult classes of people to work
with because while they are often quite frank about acknowledging their
character defects, they are very, very resistant to change. If you
have any doubts, check in with a licensed therapist.
5) Addictions. Addictions are defined as chronic maladaptive behavior
patterns designed to channel awareness away from pain, usually as much
emotional as physical pain, via compulsive, repetitive indulgences that
act as a diversion of feelings. The addictive outlet can be behavioral
or substance. The "down and dirty" definition of an addiction is when
you can't stop doing something that originally made you feel better,
even when doing it now ultimately causes you more grief, i.e., you can't
stop despite the consequences. The four most common forms of addiction
are alcohol, drugs, gambling and sex.
Any behavior can become addictive, depending upon the
personality of the addict. Some other examples include, long-distance
running or any "gym" activity, TV, video games or religion.
6) Overload. This is probably more of a subset of some of the above,
but basically it refers to when you are way too bothered or burdened or
there are way too many demands on you, and then, along comes just one
more. You snap because enough is enough. It's your way of regaining
control; that is, indirectly telling others to go away, that you are
already up to your eyeballs in problems. This reaction also helps to
simply vent the stress, thus it helps to regain psychological
equilibrium. Whereas the preceding five categories tend to be chronic,
this category is more transient. Most of us have had this experience
at one time or another. Even severe fatigue will set up overload and
loosen one's controls.
However, if you have this kind of experience more often, then
it probably is diagnostic about your approach or experience of anger,
historically. People who have been victimized by criminals, suffered
domestic violence or abuse by parents as a child, or people who have
suffered any chronic intolerable experience earlier in life often react
as if "enough is enough," even if the current stressor is minor.
Taken together, the above six categories are designed to provide
the barest outline of the disorders or conditions contained in
each. Mostly, they are included to alert the reader to things
not usually associated with anger management problems, unless you
happen to be a psychotherapist. But, to miss them as possible
causes would be a big problem. If any of these is your problem,
check first with a therapist or medical doctor to address them
because resolving them first may be very beneficial later when
you come to grips with managing anger. In some cases,
successfully managing the above conditions might make anger
problems "go away." If you cannot resolve any of the above
conditions, the below techniques can still be employed with some
success, but in these special cases, please consult with your
healthcare professional first.
-Dr. Griggs
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