For years, I have always heard from various people that holding in one’s anger is bad and that I should let it out, but I have always been skeptical about such a claim, even though I do indeed express my frustration and anger about many things. It seems that in doing so I have never seemed to get over what has made me angry, only gotten angrier about it. Either expressing it has led to more fighting or other people fueling my aggravated fire. So, I am looking to research: Whether holding in anger is good or letting out the anger is better?
Per the American Psychological Association: “One out of five Americans has an anger management problem.” “Anger is an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline.”
"Most normal people experience anger a few times a week, says Kassinove. According to a 1997 study by him and his colleagues, 58% of anger episodes include yelling or screaming. And less than 10% involve physical aggression." Which he then goes on to say that "A lot of ways in which we think when we're angry to make situations worse." This is why he uses a "cognitive-relaxation intervention" that statistically lowered anger in the college students he studies significantly.If different forms of anger from different anger forming situations were observed from a randomized set of people, they could be watched to separate ones who held in their anger from those who did not. Upon separating those people into two groups another set of tests could be conducted to figure out who is more mentally and physically affected by the anger, those holding it in, or those expressing it. Tests such as blood pressure and heart monitoring, stress tests, and mental evaluations could all be performed to answer who was being more affected. A set of physical and mental tests prior to the anger invoking instances would have to also be performed to establish a base for each individual participant to gauge their anger. A measure of their resting state to compare to their angered state. Once each set of data was collected an interpretation of it could determine who was in better mental and physical condition, therefore answering the question of whether it’s better to hold in one’s anger or let it out.
Using the scientific method to test random and large groups of people to figure out whether it is better to express anger or not is a much better way to answer this question as opposed to the method of tenacity of believing the long-running myth that it’s better to let the anger out. Psychologist Brad Bushman believes that it is a perpetuation by the media that keep that myth alive and kicking, that for the purpose of always having a story they want people to believe that it’s better to express anger. He states: “One likely reason for the continued widespread belief in catharsis is that the mass media continue to endorse the view that expressing anger or aggressive feelings is healthy, constructive, and relaxing, whereas restraining oneself creates tension that is unhealthy and bound to lead to an eventual blowup.”
Further stating that: “The belief that observing violence (or ‘ventilating it’) gets rid of hostilities has virtually never been supported by research” (pg. 194) “Because activities that are cathartic also are aggressive, they could lead to the activation of other aggressive thoughts, emotions, and behavioral tendencies, which in turn could lead to greater anger and aggression.” (pg. 368) (Berkowitz, 1984; Tice & Baumeister, 1993) “People expect that performing cathartic activities will reduce their anger and aggression, when cathartic activities are actually more likely to have the opposite effect” (Geen & Quanty, 1977; Warren & Kurlychek, 1981).Which would clarify why I cannot seem to get over anything or let anything go. The more I get angry and “ventilate it” the angrier I get and the longer it continues to stay with me. The longer the anger stays with me the more likely I am to get angrier over other small stuff, as much as the big stuff, quicker and therefore keeping the anger with me and allowing to it grow exponentially over time. All of which are unhealthy factors for our minds and bodies. In conclusion, it is not better to express it constantly. It is better to learn to control one’s anger and learn other ways to think when anger starts to creep into one’s emotional discourse. The scientific method was used in a study done in 1997 by Brad Bushman and his colleagues that proved just that, beating out the method of tenacity.
Works Cited and References:
- Bushman, B. J., Baumeister, R. F., & Stack, A. D. (1999). Catharsis, Aggression, and Persuasive Influence: Self-fulfilling or Self-Defeating Prophecies? [Abstract]. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(3), 367-368.
- Holloway, J. D. (2003, March). Advances in Anger Management. Monitor Staff, 34(3). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/mar03/advances.aspx
- Controlling Anger Before it Controls You. (2008). Retrieved October 28, 2016, from http://stepupprogram.org/docs/handouts/STEPUP_Controlling_Anger_Before_It_Controls_You.pdf