Anger is a natural reaction. It can be adaptive when expressed constructively or when you regulate anger. However, it becomes maladaptive when felt intensely and persistently for a long time, causing disruptions in individuals’ physical, emotional, and social aspects.
Anger is often considered an aversive emotion with varying intensity in response to perceived harm or injustice. It can be characterised by physiological arousal. Sometimes it is a prominent emotion among people who experience chronic pain or physical limitations. In these instances, the most frequent target of anger is themselves, followed by other people, particularly health care workers. Some also get angry at a higher being, destiny, or life situation. In some cases, their anger is directed towards those who caused them pain or brought them into their current situation.
Although anger is a normal emotion, persistent anger can exacerbate pain, complicating pain management efforts and disrupting interpersonal relationships, this is why it’s so important to learn how to regulate anger.
Anger Management Style
Anger is expressed either externally or internally. At times, other people can control and regulate their emotions adaptively. People who express their feelings externally engage in aggressive behaviours, physically or verbally, to release their anger.
On the other hand, people who use internalised expression suppress themselves from expressing their emotions. Bottling emotions inside can cause social or psychological consequences. Some people inhibit themselves from expressing their anger because of the fear of causing complications in their social relationships and ruining their chance to seek help from others. Individuals with chronic health problems become hesitant to express their anger because it may be viewed as a sign of ungratefulness for others’ assistance.
In contrast, individuals who can manage their anger utilise adaptive regulating strategies, and they display more harmonious relationships or better quality of life.
Anger, pain, and physical limitations
Anger is an important predictor of pain for people with physical limitations. Individuals who experience the most severe pain display higher levels of anger. Physical limitations may produce feelings of anger due to the lost ability for self-care. Because of their physical limitations, they have to rely on others even for their basic needs. It triggers their frustrations and personal inadequacies, making them feel angrier at themselves and adding more to their pain.
On the contrary, people who are more in control of their anger exhibit lower pain levels.
Helpful factors to deal with or regulate anger
Various factors can amplify anger, but psychological resources can buffer its effects on people. Social support, mastery, and self-esteem can mediate the impacts of physical limitations, anger, and pain. When people with physical limitations feel loved, wanted, or valued, it decreases the intensity of their anger, causing a decrease in their pain-related condition. On the other hand, mastery or personal control over their feelings can alleviate their situation. They can use adaptive coping strategies to regulate their emotions. A positive sense of self-worth allows them to rely on their abilities and decreases the development of insecurity or other maladaptive emotions that can exacerbate pain.
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