Exercise:

Identify 2 events in the past that made you angry write down the details.  Use the following headings:

• Event (describe the situation)
• Triggers (what started it)
• Score – 1=not intense; 2=highly intense
• What do you normally do?

Imagine you are driving and suddenly someone cuts close to you, scaring the hell out of you. You have to break hard not to hit him and shout, “Bastard, You %#%$… You could have hit me! Stupid Driver!”. You have become angry. A couple of minutes later, while you are still driving, another driver honks his horn to you and you explode with rage, “What’s your problem. What’s up with people today! Sh*t place I live in…!”

Anger breeds more anger. When you are angry, you get aroused and any subsequent triggers simply make you feel more excited. Of all the negative emotions, anger seems to be the most seductive. We simply don’t want to let go of it and sometimes actively go on to fuel it even more.

Anger can lead to many disastrous consequences as your logical mind is completed paralysied and you no longer seem to produce rational behaviour.

It all goes back to the way the brain works. When you are endangered, the brain releases two kinds of substances with different effects. One is catecholamines (where adrenaline is one of them) that gives you a surge of energy and is usually used over a short time. They are also known as the fight-or-flight hormone. This is effectively that rush of energy you feel when you are about to get into action when threatened or angered.

The other is an amygdala-driven ripple which leads to background readiness which can last hours or even days. The combination of these two responses explain why people are so much more prone to provocation when they have already been irritated or angered.

A higher stress level causes your brain to put you in an aroused state which means that you would be more susceptible to further provocation and will get angry much easier.