# What Your Anger May Be Hiding Source: [http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200807/what-your-anger-may-be-hiding](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200807/what-your-anger-may-be-hiding) **If Anger Helps You Feel in Control, No Wonder** **You Can't Control Your Anger!** The heading above (which, half-seriously, I've contemplated submitting to various quotation dictionaries) aptly sums up my professional experience working with this so very problematic emotion. In the past 20+ years I've taught well over a hundred classes and workshops on anger [management](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/leadership "Psychology Today looks at management"), and delivered many professional presentations on the subject. When I first became interested in exploring this typically destructive emotion, the clinical literature devoted to it was curiously scant. But times have changed dramatically since then. With the increasing occurrence of such phenomena as road rage, drive-by shootings, high school and post office killing sprees—in short, with the prevalence of violence in America today—the attention given to acting-out, out-of-control anger may never have been greater. Probably no fewer than 50 books on anger geared toward the layperson have emerged in the past 15 years or so. And in 1995 a much overdue professionally-oriented book, entitled _[Anger Disorders: Definition, Diagnosis, and Treatment](http://www.amazon.com/Anger-Disorders-Definition-Diagnosis-Psychology/dp/1560323523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215820134&sr=1-1)_ [(link is external)](http://www.amazon.com/Anger-Disorders-Definition-Diagnosis-Psychology/dp/1560323523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215820134&sr=1-1)(ed. Howard Kassinove), finally proposed a comprehensive set of diagnostic categories to deal with anger as itself a clinical syndrome—rather than an emotion linked to other mental disorders. As a psychologist, however, what I've learned about anger has come as much from my efforts as a therapist to better understand its dynamics in my clients as from examining the various writings focused on it. In what follows, I'll try to highlight some of the insights I've gained from trying to make coherent sense of the self-defeating behaviors I've seen in scores of challenging cases. **Anger as [Freud](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/freudian-psychology "Psychology Today looks at Freud")'s Forgotten Defense** If to Freud all defense mechanisms exist to protect the [personality](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/personality "Psychology Today looks at personality") from an intolerable attack of [anxiety](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/anxiety "Psychology Today looks at anxiety") when the ego is under siege, it's strange that he never considered anger as serving this pivotal psychological function. But to regard an essential human emotion as mainly designed to safeguard an individual from _another_, much more distressful emotion, is hardly a line of reasoning Freud might have been expected to follow. Still, in my own clinical experience, anger is almost never a primary emotion in that even when anger seems like an instantaneous, knee-jerk reaction to provocation, there's always some other feeling that gave rise to it. And this particular feeling is precisely what the anger has contrived to camouflage or control. The simplest example of my admittedly unorthodox relegation of anger to secondary, "reactive" status might relate to the universally frustrating situation of being cut off while driving. Virtually everyone I've ever asked has responded emphatically that their immediate reaction to such an event is anger. But when I further inquire as to what being "cut off" typically involves—namely, the very real threat of an accident—they realize that in the fraction of a second before acting successfully to avert a collision, their emotion must certainly have been one of apprehension or [fear](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear "Psychology Today looks at fear"). Cycling from the heightened arousal level of fear to an equally intense anger happens with such breathtaking speed that almost no one can recollect that flash of trepidation preceding the anger—or even rage. (And rage itself seems mostly a more potent, or desperate, form of anger created to fend off an even more serious threat to one's ego or sense of personal safety--whether that threat be mental, emotional or physical.) The internal dynamic depicted in this illustration is the same with a whole host of emotions that, as soon as they begin to surface, can be effectively masked, squelched, or preempted through the emergence of secondary anger. And just as other defenses hinder healthy psychological coping (by hiding the underlying reality of anxiety that needs to be dealt with), so does anger belie the fragility of the ego that must depend on it for shielding and support. **Anger as a Neurochemical Way of Self-Soothing** With very few exceptions, the angry people I've worked with have suffered from significant [self-image](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/identity "Psychology Today looks at self-image") deficits. Many have been quite successful in their careers but far less so in their relationships, where anger triggers abound. Regardless of their professional achievements, however, almost all of them have been afflicted by an "I'm not good enough" program (and some with an additional "I'm a fraud" script as well). In Steven Stosny's excellent book _[Treating Attachment Abuse](http://www.amazon.com/Treating-Attachment-Abuse-Compassionate-Approach/dp/0826189601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215820251&sr=1-1)_ [(link is external)](http://www.amazon.com/Treating-Attachment-Abuse-Compassionate-Approach/dp/0826189601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215820251&sr=1-1)(1995), which delineates a comprehensive model for therapeutically dealing with both physical and emotional violence in close relationships, the author offers a _chemical_ explanation of how anger—in the moment at least—can act as a sort of "psychological salve." One of the [hormones](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/hormones "Psychology Today looks at hormones") the [brain](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/neuroscience "Psychology Today looks at brain") secretes during anger arousal is norepinephrine, experienced by the organism as an analgesic. article continues after advertisement In effect, whether individuals are confronted with physical or psychological pain (or the _threat_ of such pain), the internal activation of the anger response will precipitate the release of a chemical expressly designed to _numb_ it. This is why I've long viewed anger as a double-edged sword: terribly detrimental to relationships but nonetheless crucial in enabling many vulnerable people to emotionally survive in them. As Stosny describes it, symptomatic anger covers up the pain of our "core hurts." These key distressful emotions include feeling ignored, unimportant, accused, guilty, untrustworthy, devalued, rejected, powerless, unlovable—or even unfit for human contact (cf. John Bradshaw's "[shame](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/embarrassment "Psychology Today looks at shame")-based identity"). It is, therefore, only reasonable that if the self-elicitation of anger can successfully fend off such hurtful or unbearable feelings, one might eventually become dependent on the emotion to the point of [addiction](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction "Psychology Today looks at addiction"). The psychological concept of self-soothing is unquestionably relevant here. For we all need to find ways of comforting or reassuring ourselves when our [self-esteem](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/self-esteem "Psychology Today looks at self-esteem") is endangered—whether through criticism, dismissal, or any other outside stimuli that feels invalidating and so revives old self-doubts. If we're healthy psychologically, then we have the internal resources to self-validate: to admit to ourselves possible inadequacies without experiencing intolerable [guilt](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/guilt "Psychology Today looks at guilt") or shame. But if, deep down, we still feel bad about who we are, our deficient sense of self simply won't be able to withstand such external threats. The remedy in this case? Paradoxical as it may seem, anger—even though it destroys any true peace of mind or sense of well-being—can yet help us to soothe ourselves. For our anger potently serves to _invalidate_ whoever or whatever led _us_ to feel invalidated. In adamantly disconfirming the legitimacy of the menacing external force, we self-righteously proclaim the superiority of our own viewpoint. Thus is our critical need for emotional/mental security restored. Although we're hardly left in a state of inner harmony—and may actually be experiencing substantial turmoil—our defensive anger still permits us to achieve a certain comfort. After all, _we're_ not wrong, or bad, or selfish, or inconsiderate; it's our spouse, our child, our neighbor, our coworker. Granted, this desperate reaction may be self-soothing of the last resort, but it's a kind of self-soothing nonetheless. In short, if we can't comfort ourselves through self-validation, we'll need to do so through _in_validating others. And people who suffer from chronic [depression](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/depression "Psychology Today looks at depression")typically have not learned how to avail themselves of this potent, though ultimately self-defeating, defense. article continues after advertisement **Anger as the Low Road to Self-Empowerment** If anger can help us self-medicate against all sorts of psychological pain, it is equally effective in helping ward off exasperating feelings of powerlessness. And here again Stosny's hormonal account of anger arousal is suggestive. Not only does our brain secrete the analgesic-like norepinephrine when we're provoked, it also produces the [amphetamine](https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/stimulant-related-disorders "Psychology Today looks at amphetamine")-like hormone epinephrine, which enables us to experience a surge of energy throughout our body—the adrenaline rush that many of my clients have reported feeling during a sudden attack of anger. How ironically "adaptive"!—and seductive as well. A person or situation somehow makes us feel defeated or powerless, and reactively transforming these helpless feelings into anger instantly provides us with a heightened sense of control. As the title of this article suggests, if anger can make us feel powerful, if it's the "magic elixir" that seemingly is able to address our deepest doubts about ourselves, no wonder it can end up controlling us. In a sense, it's every bit as much a drug as [alcohol](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/alcohol "Psychology Today looks at alcohol") or [cocaine](https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/cocaine "Psychology Today looks at cocaine"). And it's my strong belief that many, many millions of people worldwide are addicted to anger because of its illusorily empowering aspects. Although almost nobody appreciates their proclivities toward anger as coping strategies calculated to disarm, denigrate, or intimidate "the enemy," I'm convinced that anger is employed universally to bolster a diminished sense of personal power. Contrary to feeling weak or out of control, the experience of anger can foster a sense of invulnerability—even invincibility. The movie _Raging Bull_, dramatizing the life of prizefighter Jake LaMotta, is possibly one of the most compelling examples of how anger can _physically_ fortify an individual, powerfully compensating for various personal deficits (particularly in the realm of relationships). **Anger as a "Safe" Way to Attach in Intimate (Read, Vulnerable) Relationships** article continues after advertisement To conclude this piece, I'd like briefly to explore--also paradoxically--anger's function in ensuring safety in close relationships by regulating distance. It's only logical that if a child's caretakers proved distressingly unresponsive, unreliable or untrustworthy, the "adult child" is likely to be gun-[shy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/shyness "Psychology Today looks at shy"), or defensively cultivate a certain emotional detachment, in intimate relationships. While such individuals may desperately yearn for the secure [attachment](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/attachment "Psychology Today looks at attachment") bond that eluded them in [childhood](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/child-development "Psychology Today looks at childhood"), they will be wary of openly expressing such needs and desire. Doing so to a partner who might respond negatively to them could reopen ancient wounds. The primal fear of these individuals is that if they let their guard down and made themselves truly vulnerable—freely revealing what their heart still aches for—a disapproving or rejecting response from their mate might lead them, almost literally, to bleed to death. And so (however ultimately self-defeating) the protective role of anger in non-disclosure and distancing can feel not simply necessary but absolutely essential. Repeatedly, I've heard spouses complain that when their relationship seemed to be going better than usual, their partner—apparently beginning to experience some trepidation about "getting too close for comfort"—would, with little or no provocation, pick a fight. Psychologically wounded from parental insensitivity, disregard, or worse, their profound distrust of intimate connections would compel them to disengage through self-protective anger. Contrariwise, anger also has the effect of pushing the other person away, of getting _them_ to withdraw. In my anger classes I've many times suggested that if you want a lot of space in your life, just be a very angry person . . . and you'll get all the space you could ever desire. After all, if there's really been no precedent in our life for relational [intimacy](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/relationships "Psychology Today looks at intimacy"), getting really close to another—or having another get really close to _us_—can begin to feel hazardous to our emotional equilibrium, thereby setting off a self-insulating reaction of anger. Yet feeling _too_ detached from our partner can also revivify old attachment wounds and fears, so at times the dance changes and the distancer becomes the pursuer. The main point here is that anger, however unconsciously, can be employed in a variety of ways to regulate vulnerability in committed relationships. Not only can it be used to disengage from the other when the sought-after closeness starts to create anxiety, it can also, ironically, be a tactic for _engaging_ the other—but at a safe distance. To corrupt Descartes, the assumption here might be: "We fight, therefore we exist [as a couple]." If our attachment bond with our original caretakers was tenuous or insecure, it's only reasonable that one of the least perilous way to "attach" to another would be through a distance-moderating anger that helped control our sense of risk about such ties. Uncomfortable about getting too close, yet apprehensive about a _total_ break in our attachment, our being easily provoked by our partner may become the only viable solution to our dilemma—however dysfunctional and unsatisfying this solution might be. To conclude, in devising an appropriate treatment for a client's anger problems, what I've learned to ask myself is not simply, "What anger control skills does this person need to learn?" but rather, "What is this person's anger enabling, protecting against, or symptomatic of?" For if there is such a thing as a tip-of-the-iceberg emotion, surely it is anger—the feeling that can conceal so very much below it—that best fits the bill. **Note 1:** Inasmuch as dealing with anger is one of my main clinical specialties, I’ve published a variety of articles on it in my PT blog. If you’re interested in taking a look at other ways I’ve approached this most toxic of emotions, here are links to some additional posts of mine on the subject (along with their links): [“I’m Not Angry—But I Still Think You’re Being Unfair”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201603/i-m-not-angry-i-still-think-you-re-being-unfair) [How Is Your Anger Best Seen as Retaliation?](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201802/how-is-your-anger-best-seen-retaliation) [Anger: When Adults Act Like Children—and Why](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201602/anger-when-adults-act-children-and-why) ["Angry Tears"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201504/angry-tears) ["Does Your Partner Have Rage Attacks? Here's What to Do"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201508/does-your-partner-have-rage-attacks-heres-what-do) ["Don't Let Your Anger 'Mature' Into Bitterness"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201501/don-t-let-your-anger-mature-bitterness) ["The Rarely Recognized Upside of Anger"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201405/the-rarely-recognized-upside-anger) ["The Paradox of Anger: Strength or Weakness?"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201106/the-paradox-anger-strength-or-weakness) ["The Anger Thermostat—What's the "Temperature" of Your Upset?"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201401/the-anger-thermostat-whats-the-temperature-your-upset)  [“Anger Always Makes Sense,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201308/anger-always-makes-sense) ["What Does Donald Duck Have to Do with Anger Control?",](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201407/what-does-donald-duck-have-do-anger-control) [“Anger—How We Transfer Feelings of Guilt, Hurt, and Fear,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201306/anger-how-we-transfer-feelings-guilt-hurt-and-fear) [“A Powerful Two-Step Process to Get Rid of Unwanted Anger,"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201208/powerful-two-step-process-get-rid-unwanted-anger) [“Mad =Angry + Crazy + Dumb” (Parts 1](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201003/mad-angry-crazy-dumb-part-1-2) & [2](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201003/mad-angry-crazy-dumb-part-2-2)), and ["Afraid to Rage: The Origins of Passive-Aggressive Behavior."](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200806/afraid-rage-the-origins-passive-aggressive-behavior) **Note 2:** If you think others in your circle might profit from reading this post (or any of the additional articles I've listed on the subject), kindly forward them the links. **Note 3:** To check out other posts I've done for _Psychology Today_—on a broad variety of psychological topics—click here. © 2008 Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved. ---To be notified whenever I post something new, I invite readers to join me on [Facebook (link is external)](http://www.facebook.com/leon.seltzer)—as well as on [Twitter (link is external)](http://twitter.com/drlee1)where, additionally, you can follow my frequently unorthodox psychological and philosophical musings. _Page 2_ **The Physical--and [Cognitive](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/cognition "Psychology Today looks at Cognitive")--Toll of [Anger](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/anger "Psychology Today looks at Anger")** Another thing that makes anger--or perhaps I should say, _unregulated_, _indiscriminate_, or _over-the-top_ anger--so dumb is that it uses up so much energy. Literally, it takes so much out of you. Anger is the one emotion that mobilizes every organ and muscle group in your body. After all, it's typically a response to something that, subjectively, is experienced as an imminent threat. So instinctually your body makes haste to prepare you to attack the (perceived) enemy--though in contemporary society not so much with your fists as with your vocal cords. By the same token, however, the longer your organism continues in this heightened state of arousal, the more you'll end up feeling drained, exhausted, and perhaps even depressed. If you understand [stress](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/stress "Psychology Today looks at stress") as basically the wear and tear on your system, it's only common sense to see the magnified stress of anger as [cutting](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/self-harm "Psychology Today looks at cutting") into your mortal physical resources. And at this point there's plenty of research documenting that chronically angry people simply don't live as long, and that they're more susceptible to a variety of diseases as a direct result of so regularly overtaxing their system. Here's what automatically happens when your anger gets the better of you (compliments of fellow blogger, [Stephen Stosny](http://www.amazon.com/Treating-Attachment-Abuse-Compassionate-Approach/dp/0826189601/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267600194&sr=1-6 "trt'g attachment abuse")): 1. The sympathetic nervous system is activated--_nerves are on edge_. 2. The heart rate accelerates. 3. Blood pressure elevates; blood surges into all muscles. 4. Eyes dilate. 5. Digestion halts (food in the stomach is either thrown-up or blasted with heavy doses of acid to process it in a hurry . . . experienced as a _burning in the stomach_); the body prepares to fight without the burden of a full stomach. 6. Messages of physical pain are blocked, so we can fight despite injuries [which, it might be observed, is hardly prudent when the threat is far more imagined than real]. 7. The throat is stimulated, the voice resonates, producing an urge to roar or scream. 8. A surge of energy is produced throughout the body. As Stosny notes, this enormous expenditure of energy inevitably leads you to crash. Moreover, high levels of anger destroy T-cells and weaken the immune system. And by now an abundance of studies have connected poorly controlled anger to all kinds of aches and pains (particularly headaches), and colds and flu--not to mention the increased, and far more serious, risks of hypertension, stroke, severe gastrointestinal symptoms, coronary artery disease, and cancer (see, e.g., Williams and Williams, [Anger Kills](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=When+Anger+Kills "Anger Kills"), 1998). Specifically, chronically high levels of anger linked to relational stress increase by fivefold your chances of dying before age 50. So it stands to reason that the more frequently you get mad, and the greater your level of hostility (a kind of congealed, up-tight, _attitudinal_ anger), the more life will be "bled" out of you. And, as a result, the shorter your lifespan. Again, anyone aware of the medical facts must realize that the habitual "practice" of anger is just dumb. It's that detrimental to your physical welfare. As Mark Twain once said, "Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured."  Moreover, by interfering with your ability to effectively process information, poorly controlled anger can't help but hinder your work performance and how well you complete tasks. Getting mad significantly undercuts your reasoning powers and distracts you from the job at hand. When you're upset, it's harder to listen, as well as to learn new things or negotiate conflicts. But much more than this is the harm that frequent anger can do to your social ties, especially to your closest, most valued relationships. And I've already elaborated on this _interpersonal_ toll in [Part 1](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201003/mad-angry-crazy-dumb-part-1-2 "PT 1 of Mad ="). Remember, when your anger has gotten the best of you--that is, the most human, "evolved" parts of you--you regress into your more primordial "reptilian [brain](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/neuroscience "Psychology Today looks at brain")." Your better judgment is no longer available because deep down you're experiencing so much [threat and vulnerability](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200807/what-your-anger-may-be-hiding "what yr anger's hiding"). And so you can't help but react on the basis of ancient (but now terribly exaggerated) survival programs. No longer able to think clearly--or consider the various ramifications of your behavior--your intellect-enfeebled impulsivity is likely to defeat you far more than anybody else could. Which is to say that your _real_ enemy doesn't so much come from without as from within. As Confucius counseled, "When anger rises, think of the consequences." Finally, returning to the idea of repeatedly losing your temper as crazy, I should add that problematic anger is present in a whole host of [psychiatric](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/psychiatry "Psychology Today looks at psychiatric") disturbances. It's commonly observed in various [personality](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/personality "Psychology Today looks at personality"), conduct, and [impulse control](https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/self-control "Psychology Today looks at impulse control")disorders; in paranoid [schizophrenia](https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/schizophrenia "Psychology Today looks at schizophrenia"); and in certain organic brain disorders. And what makes such anger pathological (or "mad") is that it's _dysregulated_. It occurs in the absence of the individual's ability to exert appropriate internal controls.  So--as should be obvious by now--I see the terms _angry_, _crazy_, and _dumb_ as so complementary as in some ways to be nearly synonymous. As I hope I've amply demonstrated, anger makes very little sense in terms of enabling you to get what you want out of life. It's probably one of the most unenlightened emotions, since ultimately it's far more likely to make you miserable or bitter than to help you achieve contentment and peace of mind. In the same vein, behaviors routinely deemed "crazy" show a flagrant illogic or irrationality. And acts perceivable as "dumb" reflect an almost willful simple-mindedness, denseness, or dim-wittedness. If _mad_ is a popular term able to serve triple duty, it's because it integrates the negatively complementary features of each of these three mental/emotional states.  I'll conclude this two-part post by reaffirming my "pop psychology" equation: _mad = angry + crazy + dumb_. And I'll also add a couple of quotations that underscore some of my main points: - If you kick a stone in anger, you will hurt your foot (Korean proverb); and lastly, - Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.  (Horace) To the extent that your own anger might be characterized along any of the unflattering lines described above, you might wish to examine the many articles on the Web composed to assist you in reducing it. Or you might explore some of the worthwhile books that in the past couple of decades have emerged on the crucial subject of anger control. For the less anger you harbor, the healthier and happier, you'll be . . . as well as the more harmonious, the more satisfying, your relationships. **Note 1:** Inasmuch as dealing with anger is one of my main clinical specialties, I’ve published a variety of articles on it in my PT blog. If you’re interested in taking a look at other ways I’ve approached this most toxic of emotions, here are links to some additional posts of mine on the subject: [“I’m Not Angry—But I Still Think You’re Being Unfair”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201603/i-m-not-angry-i-still-think-you-re-being-unfair) [Anger: When Adults Act Like Children—and Why](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201602/anger-when-adults-act-children-and-why) ["Does Your Partner Have Rage Attacks? Here's What to Do](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201508/does-your-partner-have-rage-attacks-heres-what-do)," ["Angry Tears,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201504/angry-tears) ["Don't Let Your Anger 'Mature' Into Bitterness,"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201501/don-t-let-your-anger-mature-bitterness) [“The Rarely Recognized Upside of Anger,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201405/the-rarely-recognized-upside-anger) ["The Paradox of Anger: Strength or Weakness?",](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201106/the-paradox-anger-strength-or-weakness) ["The Anger Thermostat—What's the "Temperature" of Your Upset?"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201401/the-anger-thermostat-whats-the-temperature-your-upset) [“Anger Always Makes Sense,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201308/anger-always-makes-sense) ["What Does Donald Duck Have to Do with Anger Control?",](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201407/what-does-donald-duck-have-do-anger-control) [“Anger—How We Transfer Feelings of Guilt, Hurt, and Fear,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201306/anger-how-we-transfer-feelings-guilt-hurt-and-fear) [“A Powerful Two- Step Process to Get Rid of Unwanted Anger,"](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201208/powerful-two-step-process-get-rid-unwanted-anger) [“What Your Anger May Be Hiding,”](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200807/what-your-anger-may-be-hiding) [“Mad =Angry + Crazy + Dumb” (Part 1](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201003/mad-angry-crazy-dumb-part-1-2)), [“The Paradox of Anger: Strength or Weakness?”,](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/201106/the-paradox-anger-strength-or-weakness) and ["Afraid to Rage: The Origins of Passive-Aggressive Behavior."](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self/200806/afraid-rage-the-origins-passive-aggressive-behavior) **Note 2**: If you found this post useful and believe others might as well, kindly send them the link. Additionally, if you'd like to check out articles that I've done for PT, on a broad variety of subjects, click [here](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self). **Note 3:** If you'd like to check out some other posts I' ve done for _Psychology Today_, on a variety of psychological topics, click [here](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self). © 2010 [Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D.](https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self) All Rights Reserved. ---To be notified whenever I post something new, I invite readers to join me on [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/leon.seltzer)—as well as on [Twitter](http://twitter.com/drlee1) where, additionally, you can follow my frequently unorthodox psychological and philosophical musings.