Controlling your anger can also mean embracing it.

Are we afraid of anger or just afraid? Afraid to come off as small and insecure? Afraid of judgment? Afraid of deeper emotional exploration? Afraid of what truths may lie behind the anger? Afraid of the anger itself? At one point or another, I am sure we have all heard someone say, “you must learn to control your emotions” or that “controlling your temper is a sign of maturity.” We grew up watching movies like Beauty and the Beast, which displayed an isolated, dehumanized, and angry character who was given the same solid advice: “You must learn to control your temper!” Society has taught that anger is the antithesis to peace, happiness, and maturity, and we are somehow flawed by experiencing a feeling that all humans experience in their lifetime. I am here to challenge that premise.

The Bad and the Ugly

Health implications

Chronic anger has been linked to health issues, such as hypertension, heart problems, digestive issues, and a myriad of other medical problems. This type of anger is also referred to as repressed anger when you express it indirectly or go to great lengths to control it. This practice is associated with heart disease because the person fails to experience the release that comes with expressing their angry feelings. In one study, Harvard University scientists found that in healthy people, simply recalling an angry experience from their past caused a six-hour antibody immunoglobulin A, the cells’ first line of defense against infection. Additionally, individuals who struggle with mental health and medical issues are also more likely to inflict self-harm. (Debbie Strong, 2015)

Chronic or repressed anger is only a segment of this complex emotion. By giving anger credit for its negative qualities and failing to acknowledge its usefulness, we perpetuate its use in prejudicial practices in society. Labeling people as “angry” can discredit them and everything they believe in. The Case For Rage author Myisha Cherry reaffirms the idea that anger has a lousy reputation synonymous with being unhinged, but this is not anger’s sole function. Cherry describes the coined term “anger management” as a euphemism for moderating, if not eliminating, anger, which further perpetuates tucking this emotion away versus embracing it.

…All these diverse mainstream references to anger management use the phrase as a euphemism for moderating, if not eliminating, anger. If it’s a manager, it’s not a very tolerant one—it’s the kind that simply fires unruly employees. Just as good management in the corporate world is not just about firing people but solving problems as they arise and making sure that systems run efficiently, workers bring value, and everyone is productive, anger management should help us make sure our anger—our Lordean rage—remains appropriate, motivational, productive, and resistant.”

Often, we associate anger with leading to war and violence. Cue Elsa striking Anna with her ice powers. Much like animated films, we have adapted these concepts into how we view anger in everyday life. (Note that when Elsa is upset, she is also afraid or acting in self-defense.)

Conceal, Don’t feel! Just one wrong move and everyone will know. (Frozen, 2013)

Benefits of Anger

People benefit from exploring anger to pave the way to resolution and expressing opposing views. Doing so can protect people from dangerous situations and oppressive policies. However, anger is more effective in situations requiring immediate solutions than when employed in a political context. Confronting someone who said something offensive versus changing the law could be two different undertakings. In any context, it is essential to work through your anger and reframe it, to use it and achieve desirable results. Anger can be motivating when used appropriately.

Expressions of Anger

When people think of displays of anger, we often imagine an irate person screaming at the top of their lungs. The truth is that anger can consist of an array of non-verbal gestures that people pick up on during an exchange. These gestures include tight lips, lowered eyebrows, flared nostrils, or the “silent treatment.” (Cherry, 2021)

Society is starting to embrace self-expression and self-care. Self-care also includes redefining “normal,” which bundles in exploring and accepting taboo feelings such as anger. Though traditional views on anger have encouraged the suppression of this core emotion, recent films have shed light on anger and its importance. They have also repackaged this stigmatized feeling so that a broad audience can understand its significance, as displayed in the film Angry Birds.

The premise of the movie Angry Birds outlines flightless birds leading a mostly happy existence, except for Red, who can’t get past the daily annoyances of life. His temperament leads him to anger management class. Red becomes even more agitated when his feathered brethren welcome green pigs to their island paradise. As the swine begin to get under his skin, Red joins forces with Chuck and Bomb to investigate the real reason behind their mysterious arrival. Red’s anger got in the way of making friends with this dangerous group. He further explored the situation even when his community chastised him for his feelings. (IMDB, 2006) This movie displays anger’s role in self-preservation and importance in catapulting you forward (pun intended). Self-improvement is feasible through the use of anger, which is designed to:

• promote survival,
• cope with stress and release tension in the body,
• regain control over situations that create distress
• gives us the energy to retaliate against unjust or unethical situations,
• remove obstacles in the way of our pursuits,
• solve problems,
• serve as a motivator to achieve our goals,
• give us a sense of optimism by refocusing our priorities and honing in on what we stand for,
• serve as a bargaining tool,
• increases cooperation because it demands that others listen to us when we feel annoyed or frustrated,
• be used as a bargaining chip when negotiating your position because you can assert dominance (e.g., in business situations),
• cover painful feelings and serve as a defense mechanism,
• push us towards self-improvement, and
• enhance our emotional intelligence by digging deep into our true feelings. (Moshe Ratson, 2017)

The Angry bird franchise has since created products that are paving the way for the use of anger in a positive way, like the “Venting Machine,” which issues Angry Bird a gift, like movie tickets, when you shake and yell into it and the “Rage Rider,” which turns your rage into power (by yelling into a microphone that propels the scooter). You can do the same by turning your rage into power in the metaphorical sense.

If there are so many benefits to anger, why are we afraid to express it?

Aside from the previously mentioned benefits, expressing their anger comes at a cost for many people. They may not feel that they have the liberty to express their opinions in a professional setting without risking retaliation from the organization or being ostracized by others. It is essential to stand in your truth, and it just may trigger someone else to do the same.

As a society, we could use anger to speak up for injustices at any scale. It is advantageous when the anger comes from a place of privilege since it points out the wrongdoing and commands attention. Stating that your angry feelings exist can be enough for others to delve into the deeper, underlying emotions and issues and start the healing process. When someone fails to express their anger towards the correct person, this anger can be displaced and pointed towards those on the receiving end of prejudice. For instance, pain can present itself as anger in a relationship that has experienced betrayal. Nothing speaks betrayal like racism throughout history. Cherry (2021) speaks of “Lordean Rage” as the kind of anger that challenges racism by aiming for change, motivating productive action, building resistance and is informed by an inclusive and liberating perspective. She encourages the use of Lordean Rage by tapping into its “anti-racist” potential by not suppressing it or seeking to replace it with friendly emotions. She feels that our Lordean Rage must be deliberate and strong. Cherry describes the scenario of a white woman who witnesses racism against a black woman but keeps their anger to themselves. The next time they come across a black person, they may direct that anger towards them for not avoiding the situation or having a prejudicial expectation of how the situation will play out, not because of the racist person but because of the presence of the black individual. Though Cherry’s point is focused on racism, anger displacement can occur in a myriad of situations. I found Cherry made an interesting and important point: Anger must be clear in its intent to be considered “healthy anger” or, in this case, “Lordean Rage.” Anger is a powerful tool used to move forward through conflict resolution and can be the surface feeling of many underlying feelings—the tip of the iceberg.

Are you angry or just afraid?

 

Sources:

Cherry, M. (2021). The Case for Rage: Why Anger Is Essential to Anti-Racist Struggle. Oxford University Press.

Entertainment, S. P. (2016, May 18). Angry Birds (2016). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985949/

MYISHA CHERRY. (2022, January 9). The Case for Rage | MYISHA CHERRY. MYISHA CHERRY | A PHILOSOPHER STRIVING TO PROVIDE VALUE AND PROVOKE THOUGHT. https://www.myishacherry.org/the-case-for-rage/

Rovio Angry Birds #bringtheanger. (2020, October 15). The Drum. https://www.thedrum.com/profile/kairos-media/case-studies/rovio-angry-birds-bringtheanger-1#&gid=1&pid=4

Strong, D. (2015, May 29). 7 Ways Anger Is Ruining Your Health. EverydayHealth.Com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/ways-anger-ruining-your-health/