Anger Deconstructed

James Lim
James Lim
Sep 6, 2018 · 2 min read

Negative emotions are bad, that’s what most people think. Whenever we see public outbursts of anger, looks of disdain are common. This could be related to the associated physiological effects of anger like flushed faces, curled eyebrows and raised voices. These are all biological indications we’ve identified since young, and use to describe negative situations. For example, when a child does something wrong, parents would show signs of anger in a bid to tell their child not to do it again.

Anger involves intense feelings of unhappiness, and in exceptional cases, elicits contrarian responses. This is because the individual is unable to accept a situation that defies his own expectations. Everybody deals with reality in different ways and thus we all have different ideas of what is right and wrong. It is normal in the Singaporean society, for example, when we witness theft and are angry about it, because we were raised in an environment where we were ideologically taught the importance of the rule of law. However, in other societies and social groups, theft may possibly be considered as the norm and may illicit responses that are different from anger. The same can be said for illegal trades like prostitution and smuggling.

Anger, according to colloquial understanding, consists of a wide range of feelings and thoughts. From feelings of frustration to disrespect, there are so many nuances. Anger may not necessarily be seen from the physical aspect as it can be muted. It is also important to note that as we continue to learn more perspectives and experience the world, what we conceive as triggers to our state of being angry changes, along with even how we display it. Examples of anger include showing looks of disgust at somebody who does something we wouldn’t do. Raising of voice towards somebody who offended you is also an example.

Whenever an employee does not do certain tasks according to the standards of his/her superior, anger is often displayed by both parties because of something we would term a mismatch of expectations. Both would emphasize why their views are correct because they fail to empathize with each other. It is thus important to take a step back and understand other perspectives through communication by constantly asking both sides why they have certain views of the task at hand and at the end of the day, come to a middle ground and agreeable solution.

Being open to perspectives is important when digging into why people are angry to solve the nuances of anger.

Undelusional

Undelusional is a solutions company dedicated to solving the psychosocial problems of today. Our articles are based of Thought Action Paradigm to help people understand the way people think, and how delusions are formed, and how to let them go.

James Lim

Written by

James Lim

Researcher at Undelusional

Undelusional

Undelusional is a solutions company dedicated to solving the psychosocial problems of today. Our articles are based of Thought Action Paradigm to help people understand the way people think, and how delusions are formed, and how to let them go.

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